iWorld
Netflix loses subscribers, to roll out an ad-supported subscription plan
Mumbai: After sticking to only subscription-based plans for a long time, Netflix is currently considering rolling out an ad-supported subscription package for its consumers. The company expects to streamline and nail down the ad-supported services in the next two years.
“Those that have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription,” said Netflix’s co-CEO Reed Hastings on Tuesday. He announced the ad-supported subscription plan at a time when the company’s subscriber growth slowed down tremendously. The company revealed a significant downfall in its paying subscriber numbers with a loss of 0.2 million paying subscribers during the first quarter of 2022.
“But, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice. And allowing consumers who want a lower price and are advertising tolerant, to get what they want, makes a lot of sense,” Hastings added.
Excluding Russia’s numbers, where the company has shut down its service after Russia invaded Ukraine, the company gained 0.5 million subscribers during the quarter, which is lower than its forecast of 2.5 million. Netflix expects to lose another two million subscribers during the next quarter due to macro factors, higher penetration and competition from other streamers.
Netflix reported $7.8 billion in revenues during the quarter growing by 9.8 per cent year-on-year. The company’s operating income stood at $1.97 billion and net income stood at $1.59 billion.
Its global streaming paid members declined from 221.84 million to 221.64 million during the quarter. Additionally, Netflix reported revenue of $917 billion in the APAC region with paid memberships at 33.72 million up from 32.63 million in the last quarter. It added 1.09 million paying subscribers with an average revenue per member of $9.21. In contrast, Netflix’s average revenue per member (ARM) in the US stood at $14.91.
Netflix lost 0.3 million subscribers in Europe Middle East Africa markets (where it added 0.4 million if you exclude Russia’s impact). Similarly, it lost 0.4 million subscribers in the Latin American region. The company saw a decline of 0.6 million in the UCAN region (US and Canada). Only the Asia Pacific and China (APAC) markets saw an increase in net subscribers with ‘nice’ growth in markets such as Japan, India, Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan. Netflix estimated that over the long-term most of its subscriber growth will come from outside the US.
Interestingly, Netflix estimates that in addition to 222 million paying households, the service is being shared with over 100 million additional households including over 30 million in the UCAN region. “Account sharing as a percentage of our paying membership hasn’t changed much over the years, but, coupled with the first factor, means it’s harder to grow membership in many markets – an issue that was obscured by our COVID growth,” the company said in a statement.
Netflix is testing different approaches to monetize sharing, and in March last year introduced two new paid sharing features, where current members have the choice to pay for additional households, in three markets in Latin America. “As we work to monetize sharing, growth in ARM, revenue and viewing will become more important indicators of our success than membership growth,” it said.
In Q4 2021, Netflix completed the acquisitions of visual effects company Scanline and gaming studio Boss Fight Entertainment, which had a negative $125 million in cash. The company also announced the purchase of Helsinki-based gaming company Next Games and expects to complete the transaction in the second half of 2022.
The company said that over the long-term it will pursue double-digit revenue growth, increase operating revenue faster and generate growing positive free cash flow.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
