Squid Game, Witcher lead Netflix to 222 million subscriptions

By Phil Nickinson January 20, 2022

Netflix today reported its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2022, and the streaming giant said it ended the year with 221.84 million paid subscribers worldwide. That’s up 8.28 million from the third quarter, and 8.9 percent year over year.

Leading the way, the company said, was the return of original content like Season 2 of The Witcher, with 484 million hours viewed in the first 28 days, and You, with 468 million hours viewed. Squid Game, which premiered at the tail end of the third quarter, is now the biggest TV season on Netflix with a whopping 1.65 billion hours in the first four weeks. And Spanish import La Casa de Papel (which is known as Money Heist in the United States), entered its final season and is now at more than 6.7 billion hours viewed.

Lilly Collins and Samuel Arnold in Emily in Paris on Netflix. — Lilly Collins and Samuel Arnold in Emily in Paris on Netflix. Netflix

More on Netflix

And that’s just the traditional series side of things. On the movie front, the fourth quarter saw the premiere of Red Notice, with 364 million hours viewed in the first 28 days.

“Even in a world of uncertainty and increasing competition, we’re optimistic about our long-term growth prospects as streaming supplants linear entertainment around the world,” Netflix wrote in its letter to shareholders. “We’re continually improving Netflix so that we can please our members, grow our share of leisure time and lead in this transition.”

Netflix is anticipating a slowdown in paid additions in the first quarter of 2022, mostly because more content is landing in March versus January, with Season 2 of Bridgerton and The Adam Project leading the way. Netflix also noted that acquisition growth hasn’t returned to pre-COVID levels. “We think this may be due to several factors,” Netflix wrote, “including the ongoing COVID overhang and macroeconomic hardship in several parts of the world like [Latin America].”

On the financial side of things, Netflix finished the quarter with $6.02 billion cash on hand, and another $2 billion in other assets.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Section Editor, Audio/Video

Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…

Entertainment

This obscure 2024 sci-fi alien show is now a big Netflix hit. Here’s why you need to watch it

Promo art for Parasyte: The Grey.

It may be spring, but it's also alien invasion season on Netflix. And while 3 Body Problem deals with that premise in a very high-concept way, it's been unseated from the top of the list of Netflix's most popular shows by a new South Korean series called Parasyte: The Grey.

Parasyte: The Grey is based on the popular manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki, which has previously been adapted as an anime series and two live-action movies in Japan. But you don't need to know anything about those to enjoy Parasyte: The Grey. This is a separate story that features its own characters, and it's clearly catching on with fans around the world. That's why we're sharing three reasons why you should watch Parasyte: The Grey on Netflix.
It's the story of a girl and her alien

Entertainment

The best horror movies on Netflix right now

A masked killer charges toward Nell Verlaque in Thanksgiving.

Netflix is the king of streamers, thanks to its impressive library, which includes every major film genre; however, few are better represented than horror. The best horror movies on Netflix include a who's who of cinematic nightmares, including certified classics of the genre and new, ambitious additions from modern filmmakers. These movies will provide chills and thrills while delivering a high-quality experience for terror-starved audiences.

To make things better, Netflix stays consistent every month with new and exciting arrivals that make up for whatever movies are leaving the service. With this list, we've found the worthy films and omitted those that might not be the best, making it easier for you to sit back and scream with these horrifying movies. From supernatural stories to psychological thrillers and good old-fashioned slashers, these are the best horror movies that Netflix has to offer, and we wholeheartedly recommend them.

Entertainment

Why is this 2018 action movie starring The Rock so popular on Netflix right now?

McKenna Roberts and Dwayne Johnson in Skyscraper.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson started his career as a wrestler in WWE, and that's what he's been doing again as recently as WrestleMania. Outside of the ring, Johnson established himself as one of the top action stars in Hollywood. In that capacity, Johnson starred in the 2018 action thriller Skyscraper, which is currently one of the most popular movies on Netflix.

Although Skyscraper is not Johnson's best action movie, it is underrated compared not only to his own films but also to the rest of the modern action flicks. So, if you're looking for an action fix this week, here are three reasons why The Rock's Skyscraper is an underrated action movie.
Johnson allows himself to be more physically vulnerable