Netflix CFO On Determining Content Spend – 'We're a Learning Machine, We Look At It Every Quarter, Every Year And Iterate'
'It's a little art in science,' he added during a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference.
More from Deadline
Chet Hanks Admits 'Running Point' Character Is "Slightly Exaggerated Version" Of Himself: "Just Uncanny"
Courtney Kemp Crime Drama 'Nemesis' A Go At Netflix With Matthew Law & Y'Ian Noel As Leads, 5 Others Cast
Sam Worthington To Headline Netflix's Harlan Coben Limited Series 'I Will Find You'
On the top line, 'We have a pretty good sense of predictability of our revenue. We're primarily a subscription model. We've got a pretty good sense over time of the ability to kind of drive demand and revenue from our investments across the business. So we start with that, and then we also set our margin targets.'
'Then what's left over is to spend into content. So then there's the bottom-up exercise … as we look [at] those categories of content, across genres, across countries and regions and across original and licensed content, and where can we deliver highest impact. We're a learning machine. So it's fluid, it's iterative. We look at it every quarter, every year, and iterate … It's how in any given year that we can, in a responsible way, invest into the growth.'
Netflix has a massive household audience of about 700 million globally. That's 'a huge variety and quality of content [and] we also have a principle that those stories, the best stories, can come from anywhere.'
Solutions for password sharing have successfully boosted revenue and 2025 is a pivotal year for Netflix' advertising tier.
Execs said on the last earnings call that 55% of new signups were for the ad tier, which is approaching critical scale in all of the streamer's ad markets. The focus in this year is to monetize that reach 'because our monetization has now not kept up yet with the scale.' Investment is key, in expanding first-party ad tech stack, audience measurement, and a sales operation.
Live events is a growth area too but, he insisted, as has co-CEO Ted Sarandos, that it's a much broader category than sports.
'Live creates more appointment viewing, more conversation … We saw with the Tom Brady roast. We saw, it with John Mulaney on the talk show side. We saw it with the [Jake] Paul-[Mike] Tyson fight, with the NFL on Christmas Day, and now with WWE. We are in those big, eventized moments' that help drive subscriber acquisition and retention.
'But not all live content works for us … and being in the business of regular season, of full seasons of big sports, we haven't found that yet to be something that we necessarily need to deliver.'
Best of Deadline
2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys & More
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Vibes Nation
25 minutes ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
‘Happy Gilmore 2' Review - Insanely Silly And Heartwarming Fun
Take this with a grain of salt, but upon closer analysis, Netflix's Happy Gilmore 2 reveals a comedy that is smarter than it seems. For one, the original Happy Gilmore was about challenging the elitism of a stuffy, purist golf culture that needed a shake-up. A sort of lowbrow Caddyshack—if such a thing is possible—it was a blue-collar redemption story where talent and heart mattered more than etiquette. Which brings me to my point about Happy Gilmore 2: it revives that same working-class story in a setting the titular character once brought to golf—a world that has now gotten way, and I mean way, out of hand. Sandler is back with a sensibility only he can bring to the screen. This time, however, he has cleverly satirized commercialization and the modern evolution of golf. Particularly, the marketing of sports often clashes with tradition. Oh, and the movie happens to be funny, insanely silly, and heartwarming fun. The story picks up years after Happy Gilmore's (Adam Sandler) successful golf career. He's now married to the love of his life, Virginia (Modern Family's Julie Bowen, reprising her role from the original—a recurring theme in the film). They have five kids together, including four rough-and-tumble boys. Their youngest, Vienna (You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah's Sunny Sandler), is an aspiring ballet dancer. Oh, and John Daly hilariously lives in Happy's garage. Happy wants to retire, but Virginia believes he won't be—well, happy—without the game he loves. However, after a family tragedy, Happy quits golf, turns to drinking, and loses all his money. Happy now works at a grocery store to support his family (and apparently John Daly). That is, until Vienna accepts a prestigious ballet academy in Paris. Great, right? Well, hold on, because the tuition bill of over $300,000 is too much for them to afford. That is, until Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie—Sandler, rewarding him for directing Uncut Gems) approaches Happy with the deal of a lifetime. The CEO of Maxi Energy Drink wants to sponsor a new kind of game: Maxi Golf. The vision resembles characters from a Mad Max movie, and the courses resemble gigantic mini golf on steroids. Frank wants to make Happy the face of his brand of chaos in a gentleman's game. The real question is whether Happy will be able to find his stroke again to make his daughter's dreams come true. Happy Gilmore 2 was directed by Kyle Newacheck (What We Do in the Shadows). Working from a script from Sandler and Tim Herlihy, who cowrote such golden-age Sandler comedies as Billy Madison, The Waterboy, and The Wedding Singer. The movie tells a sweet story about family while honoring the original in multiple ways. For instance, all Happy's Boys do the same shtick he did on the job when he was on the golf course. An underlying theme is the love for his wife, Virginia, showing the performer's growth as a storyteller. Many will point to an overemphasis on nods to the original and star cameos. However, new ones like Bad Bunny, John Daly, and Travis Kelce steal the scenes they are in. Also, Ben Stiller and Christopher McDonald are comedic gems reprising their roles. However, Sandler always makes his films a family affair. He brings in relatives of members who have passed away, while also using special effects to create poignant cameos for those who have passed on. That is what makes Happy Gilmore 2 worth watching for the nostalgia factor alone, with Sandler bringing back everyone in some shape or form. For one, he returns to his comedic style, but also demonstrates his maturity by honoring those who gave him a helping hand. Not to mention the audience that always lent their support. The movie is a legacy sequel that is so much fun, you forget the controlled comedic chaos of it all, let go, and enjoy the experience for what it is. Happy Gilmore 2 is now available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alcoa Corporation (AA) Reports for Q2 2025; Earnings Beat Estimates
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) is among the . A construction crew working on a solar energy system, revealing the company's drive for success. On July 16, 2025, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) reported results for Q2 2025, which turned out to be a stronger-than-expected quarter. The company reported an adjusted EPS of $0.39 per share, surpassing estimates of $0.29. Meanwhile, sequential revenue went down by 10% to $3 billion. Lower alumina and aluminum prices, along with a $95 million tariff (including the 50% U.S. Section 232 tariff on Canadian aluminum), had a heavy impact, also dragging adjusted EBITDA down by $542 million to $313 million. To mitigate the tariff impact, the company is planning to reroute 100,000 or more metric tons to non-U.S. purchasers. On the strategic side, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) closed its $1.35 billion Ma'aden JV exit on July 1, 2025, selling its 25.1% stake in the venture to Saudi Arabian Mining Company. Meanwhile, the company continued with its commitment to sustainable actions with initiatives like EcoLum sales and supply extensions with Prysmian. Looking ahead, improved alumina performance and tariff-offsetting Midwest premiums are expected in Q3. However, the company expresses caution due to power-related delays at San Ciprián. Alcoa has faced a challenging environment due to the high cost of energy at the site for an extended period. After the earnings release, on July 18, 2025, Morgan Stanley cut its price target for AA from $40 to $38, while maintaining an 'Overweight' rating, citing the company's short-term market condition and strategic outlook. With its operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Spain, the United States, and internationally, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) is engaged in the bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminum production, and energy generation business. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of AA as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. Disclosure. None.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Happy Gilmore 2' Cast: All the Returning Characters and Surprise Cameos
He's back! After nearly 30 years since the original movie was released, Adam Sandler is reprising his iconic role as Happy Gilmore in Netflix's Happy Gilmore 2. The new movie sees Happy pick up his golf clubs once again in order to fund his daughter's tuition for ballet school. Not only are we buzzing to see Adam back as Happy, but many of the OG cast are returning too, as well as a bunch of new characters (including Bad Bunny as Happy's new caddy) and a whole host of blink and you'll miss them cameos. But really you should pause and pay attention because these cameos are strictly A-List. Missed a few while enjoying the new movie? Well here's the full cast list of old and new characters and all the cameos you may have missed. The cast returning for Happy Gilmore 2 Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore The main player returns, Adam Sandler is reprising his role as the iconic golfer Happy Gilmore. Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit Also returning is Julie Bowen, who played Happy's wife Virginia in the first movie. Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavinAnd it wouldn't be Happy Gilmore without Christopher McDonald playing Happy's nemesis Shooter McGavin. Dennis Dugan as Doug Thompson Dennis Dugan returns as Doug Thompson the commissioner of the golf tour. Ben Stiller as Hal L Okay, so technically Ben Stiller did appear in the first Happy Gilmore movie, but he went uncredited. He's now reprising his as role Hal L., who was one of the orderlies at the retirement home. Now he's left that job and is running a support group. Kevin Nealon as Gary Potter During the first movie we also met the character of Gary Potter, who was another professional golfer, and he was played by Kevin Nealon, who is reprising his role. The new cast for Happy Gilmore 2 Benny Safdie as Frank Manatee Frank Manatee is a sports drink company owner and he's played by Benny Safdie, who previously worked with Adam on Uncut Gems. Bad Bunny as Oscar Oscar is Happy's new caddy, and from the looks of the trailer has no idea what he's actually doing. He's played by singer Bad Bunny. Sunny Sandler as Vienna Gilmore Vienna is Happy and Virginia's only daughter, and she's the reason her dad has to get back into golf in order to pay for her ballet school tuition. She's played by Adam Sandler's real life daughter Sunny. Kym Whitley as Bessie Bessie is a member of Hal's support group and she's played by Kym Whitley. Lavell Crawford as Slim Petersen Slim is the son of Happy's late mentor Chubbs and is played by comedian and actor Lavell Crawford. Blake Clark as Farmer Fran In 1998 Adam Sandler starred in and created the sports comedy movie The Waterboy, which featured a character called Farmer Fran, an assistant coach. He's played by Blake Clark, and he's now reprising the role of Farmer Fran but in Happy Gilmore. Ethan Cutkosky, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Philip Fine Schneider and Conor Sherry as Happy's sons - Wayne, Gordie, Bobby, and Terry Gilmore The sequel movie sees Happy and Virgina have four boys who are known as Wayne, Gordie, Bobby and Terry. All the cameos in Happy Gilmore 2 The golf cameos As it's a film all about golf, it would be remiss if it didn't feature one or two professional golfers, but rather than just a few, Happy Gilmore 2 had a whole host of golfers take their cameo moment in the film. Keegan Bradley Bryson DeChambeau John Daly Tony Finau Rickie Fowler Brooks Koepka Nelly Korda Nancy Lopez Rory McIlroy Collin Morikawa Jack Nicklaus Corey Pavin Xander Schauffele Paige Spiranac Scottie Scheffler Jordan Spieth Justin Thomas Lee Trevino Will Zalatoris The acting cameos The movie also features a huge number of recognisable names including actors that frequently appear in other Adam Sandler movies, and some surprising faces too, including Travis Kelce and Eminem, who are playing characters rather than themselves. Eric Andre as Steiner Reggie Bush as 8 Ball Kid Cudi as FBI Agent Eminem as Donald Jr. John Farley as Nate Nikki Garcia as Medusa Jack Giarraputo as Jack Beard (He's the co-founder of production company Happy Madison alongside Adam Sandler) Marcello Hernández as Esteban Oliver Hudson as Harley Tim Herlily as Dr Hertz (Tim is also the movie's writer) Martin Herlily as Fitzy (He's Tim's son) Travis Kelce as Waiter Jon Lovitz as Dapper Man Becky Lynch as Flex Post Malone as DJ Omar Gosh Boban Marjanovic as Drago Larson Haley Joel Osment as Billy Jenkins Dan Patrick as Pat Daniels Margaret Qualley as Sally Jackie Sandler as Monica (yes as in Adam Sandler's wife) Sadie Sandler as Charlotte (Sadie is Adam's eldest daughter) Rob Schneider as Tricycle Cowboy Nick Swardson as Ben Daggett The celebrity cameos And then there are a few select celebrities playing themselves in cameo roles too, did you spot all of them? Cam'ron as himself Alix Earle as herself Sean Evans as himself (aka the guy who presents Hot Ones) Ken Jennings as himself Bobby Lee as himself Treasure Wilson as herself Happy Gilmore 2 is available on Netflix now. You Might Also Like Here's What NOT to Wear to a Wedding Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine You'll Ever Try Solve the daily Crossword
