Netflix slump triggers move into gaming
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Netflix has reported its worst slowdown in subscriber growth for eight years, adding just 1.5 million subscribers in Q2 2021. The streaming giant now plans to add video games to keep subscribers loyal
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NETFLIX SUBSCRIBER GROWTH (quarterly figures, millions)

20 15 10 5

0 2013 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2021

Q1, 2020: 15.8m spike in growth due to pandemic lockdowns

Q2, 2021: 1.5m new subscribers – fall blamed on pandemic- induced production delays

Previous low, but service in far fewer markets

Q3 fore-cast: 3.5m

Dec 17, 2021: Hendry Cavil (right), returns in season two of fan favourite The Witcher – likely to boost subscriber numbers over holiday season

Mike Verdu, new Vice President of Game Development, former executive with Oculus and Electronic Arts

First Netflix video games – tied to its most popular shows – released within 12 months for mobile devices, at no extra cost to subscribers. Future plans to extend onto consoles and smart TVs in multi-year expansion
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Sources: AP, Bloomberg, Variety, Statista, Netflix Pictures: Netflix © GRAPHIC NEWS