iWorld
Netflix shares sink after it misses Q2 subscriber growth expectations
MUMBAI: Making some analysts’ prediction true, Netflix could not live up to its second-quarter earnings expectations. The streaming video giant added 5.15 million subscribers worldwide compared to the expectation of 6.2 million new subscribers. Following the result, the company’s stock fell down 14 per cent.
In the domestic market of the US, the company added 670,000 subscribers while in international market it signed up 4.47 million subscribers. For domestic market Wall Street analysts expected 1.23 million net adds and 5.11 million overseas for the period. Now, the fear has risen that the company’s rapid growth is slowing down. Despite missing the expectation in terms of subscriber growth, it beat earnings expectations of $0.79 per share by reporting $0.85 EPS for the quarter.
“Investors are devastated by Netflix’s Q2 projection that went down in dramatic flames. Now future projections are suspect and that decimates valuation,” private equity firm Patriarch’s CEO Eric Schiffer said as quoted by Reuters.
“We had a strong but not stellar Q2,” Netflix said in a quarterly letter to shareholders. “This Q2, we over-forecasted global net additions… as acquisition growth was slightly lower than we projected,” the company added. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said median viewing hours was growing but without sharing any specifics.
Though Netflix is leading the market globally, competitors including Amazon, Hulu, and Apple are also gaining foothold in the market making things tougher for the company. The deal between AT&T and Times Warner is also an indication of increased competition for the platform. Even in India, from where Netflix targets to add a huge number of subscribers, its international rival Amazon and players like Hotstar, Voot, ALTBalaji have strong foothold in the market.
“We’ve seen this movie of Q2 [subscriber net adds] shortfall before, about two years ago in 2016 — and we never did find the explanation to that, other than there’s some lumpiness in the business,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said adding that the company continued to perform after that also.
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
