(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission File Number: 001-35727

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

100 Winchester Circle, Los Gatos, California 95032

(Address and zip code of principal executive offices)

(408) 540-3700

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   x     No   o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   x     No    o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes   o     No   x

As of March 31, 2017 , there were 430,993,429 shares of the registrant's common stock, par value $0.001, outstanding.

Table of Contents

NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share data)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and par value data)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

NETFLIX, INC.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying interim consolidated financial statements of Netflix, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (the "Company") have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S.") and are consistent in all material respects with those applied in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on January 27, 2017. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the streaming content asset amortization policy; the recognition and measurement of income tax assets and liabilities; and the valuation of stock-based compensation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. On a regular basis, the Company evaluates the assumptions, judgments and estimates. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The interim financial information is unaudited, but reflects all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to fairly present the information set forth herein. The interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 . Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results for a full year.

The Company has three reportable segments: Domestic streaming, International streaming and Domestic DVD, all of which derive revenue from monthly membership fees. See Note 10 for further detail on the Company's segments.

There have been no material changes in the Company's significant accounting policies, other than the adoption of Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-09 described below and in Note 9, as compared to the significant accounting policies described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 .

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting , which amends Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation . ASU 2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Under the new standard, all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies are recorded as a component of the provision for income taxes in the reporting period in which they occur. Additionally, ASU 2016-09 requires that the Company present excess tax benefits on the Statement of Cash Flows as an operating activity. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017 and elected to apply this adoption prospectively. Prior periods have not been adjusted. See Note 9 for information regarding the impact on the Company's financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) which amended the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 establishes principles for recognizing revenue upon the transfer of promised goods or services to customers, in an amount that reflects the expected consideration received in exchange for those goods or services. In July 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 (including interim reporting periods within those periods). Early adoption is permitted to the original effective date for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016 (including interim reporting periods within those periods). The amendments may be applied retrospectively to each prior period (full retrospective) or retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of initial application (modified retrospective). The Company will adopt ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2018 and apply the full retrospective approach. Because the Company's primary source of revenues is from monthly membership fees which are recognized ratably over each monthly membership period, the Company does not expect the impact on its consolidated financial statements to be material.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) in order to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for those leases classified as operating leases under previous GAAP. ASU 2016-02 requires that a lessee should recognize a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term on the balance sheet. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 (including interim periods within those periods) using a modified retrospective approach and early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-02 in the first quarter of 2019. Although the Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of the ASU on its consolidated financial statements, the Company currently believes the most significant changes will be related to the recognition of new right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the Company's balance sheet for real estate operating leases.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Restricted Cash , which requires amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the total beginning and ending amounts for the periods shown on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-08 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 (including interim periods

within those periods) using a retrospective transition method to each period presented and early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-18 in the first quarter of 2018 and does not expect the impact on its consolidated financial statements to be material.

2. Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock and, when dilutive, potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares consist of incremental shares issuable upon the assumed exercise of stock options. The computation of earnings per share is as follows:

Employee stock options with exercise prices greater than the average market price of the common stock were excluded from the diluted calculation as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. The following table summarizes the potential common shares excluded from the diluted calculation:

3. Short-term Investments

The Company's investment policy is consistent with the definition of available-for-sale securities. The Company does not buy and hold securities principally for the purpose of selling them in the near future. The Company's policy is focused on the preservation of capital, liquidity and investment return. From time to time, the Company may sell certain securities but the objectives are generally not to generate profits on short-term differences in price. The following tables summarize, by major security type, the Company's assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, the category using the fair value hierarchy and where they are classified on the Consolidated Balance Sheets:

(1) Primarily restricted cash that is related to workers compensation deposits and letter of credit agreements.

Fair value is a market-based measurement that is determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The hierarchy level assigned to each security in the Company's available-for-sale portfolio and cash equivalents is based on its assessment of the transparency and reliability of the inputs used in the valuation of such instrument at the measurement date. The fair value of available-for-sale securities and cash equivalents included in the Level 1 category is based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market. The fair value of available-for-sale securities included in the Level 2 category is based on observable inputs, such as quoted prices for similar assets at the measurement date; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly. These values were obtained from an independent pricing service and were evaluated using pricing models that vary by asset class and may incorporate available trade, bid and other market information and price quotes from well-established independent pricing vendors and broker-dealers. The Company's procedures include controls to ensure that appropriate fair values are recorded, such as comparing prices obtained from multiple independent sources. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding the fair value of the Company's senior notes.

Because the Company does not intend to sell the investments that are in an unrealized loss position and it is not likely that the Company will be required to sell any investments before recovery of their amortized cost basis, the Company does not consider those investments with an unrealized loss to be other-than-temporarily impaired at March 31, 2017 or December 31, 2016 , respectively. There were no material other-than-temporary impairments or credit losses related to available-for-sale securities in the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 ,

respectively. In addition, there were no material gross realized gains or losses in the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively.

The estimated fair value of short-term investments by contractual maturity as of March 31, 2017 is as follows:

4. Balance Sheet Components

Content Assets

Content assets consisted of the following:

Produced content is included in "Non-current content assets, net" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Certain original content is licensed and therefore not included in produced content. Of the produced content that has been released, approximately 28% and 79% is expected to be amortized over the next twelve and thirty-six months, respectively, and over 80% is expected to be amortized over the next forty-eight months. The amount of accrued participations and residuals to be paid during the next twelve months is not material.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment and accumulated depreciation consisted of the following:

The decrease in capital work-in-progress is primarily due to leasehold improvements for the Company's expanded Los Gatos, California headquarters and the Company's new Los Angeles, California facility, both of which were placed into operation in the first quarter of 2017.

5. Long-term Debt

As of March 31, 2017 , the Company had aggregate outstanding long-term debt of $3,365.4 million , net of $34.6 million of issuance costs, with varying maturities (the "Notes"). Each of the Notes were issued at par and are senior unsecured obligations of the Company. Interest is payable semi-annually at fixed rates.

The following table provides a summary of the Company's Notes and the fair values based on quoted market prices in less active markets as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 :

Each of the Notes are repayable in whole or in part upon the occurrence of a change of control, at the option of the holders, at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal plus accrued interest. The Company may redeem the Notes prior to maturity in whole or in part at an amount equal to the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest and an applicable premium. The Notes include, among other terms and conditions, limitations on the Company's ability to create, incur or allow certain liens; enter into sale and lease-back transactions; create, assume, incur or guarantee additional indebtedness of certain of the Company's subsidiaries; and consolidate or merge with, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of the Company's and its subsidiaries assets, to another person. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , the Company was in compliance with all related covenants.

6. Commitments and Contingencies

Streaming Content

As of March 31, 2017 , the Company had $15.3 billion of obligations comprised of $3.9 billion included in "Current content liabilities" and $3.0 billion of "Non-current content liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and $8.4 billion of obligations that are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as they did not yet meet the criteria for asset recognition.

As of December 31, 2016 , the Company had $14.5 billion of obligations comprised of $3.6 billion included in "Current content liabilities" and $2.9 billion of "Non-current content liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and $8.0 billion of obligations that are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as they did not yet meet the criteria for asset recognition.

The expected timing of payments for these streaming content obligations is as follows:

Content obligations include amounts related to the acquisition, licensing and production of streaming content. Obligations that are in non-U.S. dollar currencies are translated to the U.S. dollar at period end rates. An obligation for the production of content includes non-cancelable commitments under creative talent and employment agreements. An obligation for the acquisition and licensing of content is incurred at the time the Company enters into an agreement to obtain future titles. Once a title becomes available, a content liability is recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Certain agreements include the obligation to license rights for unknown future titles, the ultimate quantity and/or fees for which are not yet determinable as of the reporting date. Traditional film output deals, like the U.S. output deal with Disney, or certain TV series license agreements where the number of seasons to be aired is unknown, are examples of such license agreements. The Company does not include any estimated obligation for these future titles beyond the known minimum amount. However, the unknown obligations are expected to be significant.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, in the normal course of its operations, the Company is subject to litigation matters and claims, including claims relating to employee relations, business practices and patent infringement. Litigation can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict and the Company's view of these matters may change in the future as the litigation and events related thereto unfold. The Company expenses legal fees as incurred. The Company records a provision for contingent losses when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. An unfavorable outcome to any legal matter, if material, could have an adverse effect on the Company's operations or its financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

The Company is involved in litigation matters not listed herein but does not consider the matters to be material either individually or in the aggregate at this time. The Company's view of the matters not listed may change in the future as the litigation and events related thereto unfold.

Indemnification

In the ordinary course of business, the Company has entered into contractual arrangements under which it has agreed to provide indemnification of varying scope and terms to business partners and other parties with respect to certain matters, including, but not limited to, losses arising out of the Company's breach of such agreements and out of intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In these circumstances, payment may be conditional on the other party making a claim pursuant to the procedures specified in the particular contract.

The Company's obligations under these agreements may be limited in terms of time or amount, and in some instances, the Company may have recourse against third parties for certain payments. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and certain of its officers that will require it, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers. The terms of such obligations vary.

It is not possible to make a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments under these or similar agreements due to the conditional nature of the Company's obligations and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement. No amount has been accrued in the accompanying consolidated financial statements with respect to these indemnification obligations.

7. Stockholders' Equity

Stock Option Plan

In June 2011, the Company adopted the 2011 Stock Plan. The 2011 Stock Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options to employees and for the grant of non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units to employees, directors and consultants. As of March 31, 2017 , 12.6 million shares were reserved for future grants under the 2011 Stock Plan.

A summary of the activities related to the Company's stock option plans is as follows:

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company's closing stock price on the last trading day of the first quarter of 2017 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on the last trading day of the first quarter of 2017 . This amount changes based on the fair market value of the Company's common stock.

A summary of the amounts related to option exercises, is as follows:

Stock-based Compensation

Stock options granted are exercisable for the full ten year contractual term regardless of employment status. The following table summarizes the assumptions used to value option grants using the lattice-binomial model and the valuation data:

The Company considers several factors in determining the suboptimal exercise factor, including the historical and estimated option exercise behavior.

The Company calculates expected volatility based solely on implied volatility. The Company believes that implied volatility of publicly traded options in its common stock is more reflective of market conditions, and given consistently high trade volumes of the options, can reasonably be expected to be a better indicator of expected volatility than historical volatility of its common stock.

In valuing shares issued under the Company's employee stock option plans, the Company bases the risk-free interest rate on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with terms similar to the contractual term of the options. The Company does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future and therefore uses an expected dividend yield of zero in the option valuation model. The Company does not use a post-vesting termination rate as options are fully vested upon grant date.

8. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

The following table summarizes the changes in the accumulated balance of other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, for the three months ended March 31, 2017 :

The amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss were immaterial for the three months ended March 31, 2017 .

9. Income Taxes

The effective tax rates for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were 20% and 31% , respectively. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 differed from the Federal statutory rate primarily due to the recognition of excess tax benefits as a component of the provision for income taxes attributable to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 and Federal and California research and development ("R&D") credits offset by state taxes, foreign taxes and non-deductible expenses. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2016 differed from the Federal statutory rate primarily due to Federal and California R&D credits partially offset by state taxes, foreign taxes and non-deductible expenses. The decrease in effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016 was due primarily to the recognition of excess tax benefits attributable to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017.

Gross unrecognized tax benefits were $30.7 million and $19.7 million as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively. The gross unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized by the Company, will result in a reduction of approximately $27.3 million to the provision for income taxes thereby favorably impacting the Company's effective tax rate. As of March 31, 2017 , the Company had identified gross unrecognized tax benefits of $ 30.7 million , of which $12.8 million was classified as "Other non-current liabilities" and $17.9 million as a reduction to deferred tax assets which was classified as "Other non-current assets" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company includes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the "Provision for income taxes" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and "Other non-current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Interest and penalties included in the Company's "Provision for income taxes" were not material in any of the periods presented.

Deferred tax assets include $297.6 million and $227.2 million classified as "Other non-current assets" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively. In evaluating its ability to realize the net deferred tax assets, the Company considered all available positive and negative evidence, including its past operating results and the forecast of future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. As of March 31, 2017 , the Company has a valuation allowance of $23.5 million primarily due to foreign tax credit carryovers. As of December 31, 2016 , it was considered more likely than not that substantially all deferred tax assets would be realized.

As a result of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017, the Company recorded a cumulative effect adjustment to increase retained earnings by $43.6 million with a corresponding increase to deferred tax assets for the Federal and state net operating losses attributable to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation which had not been previously recognized. All excess tax benefits and deficiencies in the current and future periods will be recognized as income tax expense in the Company's Consolidated Statement of Operations in the reporting period in which they occur. This will result in increased volatility in the Company's effective tax rate. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company recognized a discrete tax benefit of $36.0 million related to the excess tax benefits.

The Company files U.S. Federal, state and foreign tax returns. The Company is currently under examination by the IRS for 2014 and 2015. The 2008 through 2015 state tax returns are subject to examination by state tax authorities. The Company has no significant foreign jurisdiction audits underway. The years 2011 through 2016 remain subject to examination by foreign tax authorities. Given the potential outcome of the current examinations as well as the impact of the current examinations on the potential expiration of the statute of limitations, it is reasonably possible that the balance of unrecognized tax benefits could significantly change within the next twelve months. At this time, an estimate of the range of reasonably possible adjustments to the balance of unrecognized tax benefits cannot be made.

10. Segment Information

The Company has three reportable segments: Domestic streaming, International streaming and Domestic DVD. Segment information is presented in the same manner that the Company's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") reviews the operating results in assessing performance and allocating resources. The Company's CODM reviews revenues and contribution profit (loss) for each of the reportable segments. Contribution profit (loss) is defined as revenues less cost of revenues and marketing expenses incurred by the segment. The Company has aggregated the results of the International operating segments into one reportable segment because these operating segments share similar long-term economic and other qualitative characteristics.

The Domestic streaming segment derives revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of streaming content to members in the United States. The International streaming segment derives revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of streaming content to members outside the United States. The Domestic DVD segment derives revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of DVD-by-mail. Revenues and the related payment card fees are attributed to the operating segment based on the nature of the underlying membership (streaming or DVD) and the geographic region from which the membership originates. There are no internal revenue transactions between the Company's segments.

The vast majority of the cost of revenues relate to content expenses, which include the amortization of streaming content assets and other costs associated with the licensing and acquisition of streaming content. In connection with the Company's global expansion, content acquired, licensed, and produced increasingly includes global rights. The Company allocates this content between the International and Domestic streaming segments based on estimated fair market value. Content expenses for each streaming segment thus include both expenses directly incurred by the segment as well as an allocation of expenses incurred for global rights. Other costs of revenues such as delivery costs are primarily attributed to the operating segment based on amounts directly incurred by the segment. Marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising expenses and payments made to marketing partners, including consumer electronics ("CE") manufacturers, multichannel video programming distributors ("MVPDs"), mobile operators and internet service providers ("ISPs"), which are generally included in the segment in which the expenditures are directly incurred.

The Company's long-lived tangible assets were located as follows:

The following table represents segment information for the three months ended March 31, 2017 :

The following table represents segment information for the three months ended March 31, 2016 :

The following table represents the amortization of content assets:

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements regarding: our core strategy; the impact of, and the Company's response to, new accounting standards; content amortization, pricing changes, including their impact on paid memberships and average monthly revenue per paying membership; dividends; impact of foreign currency and exchange rate fluctuations; investments in marketing and content, including original content; cash use in connection with the acquisition, licensing and production of content; contribution margin and free cash flow expectations; unrecognized tax benefits; deferred tax assets; tax settlements; accessing and obtaining additional capital; accounting treatment for changes related to content assets; and future contractual obligations, including unknown streaming content obligations. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those included in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on January 27, 2017, in particular the risk factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item IA. 

We assume no obligation to revise or publicly release any revision to any forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, unless required by law.

Investors and others should note that we announce material financial information to our investors using our investor relations Web site (http://ir.netflix.com), SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. We use these channels, as well as social media, to communicate with our members and the public about our company, our services and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in our company to review the information we post on the United States ("U.S.") social media channels listed on our investor relations Web site.

Overview

We are the world's leading internet television network with over 98 million streaming members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Additionally, in the U.S., our members can receive DVDs delivered quickly to their homes.

We are a pioneer in the internet delivery of TV shows and movies, launching our streaming service in 2007. Since this launch, we have developed an ecosystem for internet-connected screens and have added increasing amounts of content that enable consumers to enjoy TV shows and movies directly on their internet-connected screens. As a result of these efforts, we have experienced growing consumer acceptance of, and interest in, the delivery of TV shows and movies directly over the internet. Historically, the first and fourth quarters (October through March) represent our greatest membership growth across our Domestic and International streaming segments. Our membership growth may be impacted by the release of certain high-profile original content. Internationally, we expect each market to demonstrate more predictable seasonal patterns as our service offering in each market becomes more established and we have a longer history to assess such patterns.

Our core strategy is to grow our streaming membership business globally within the parameters of our profit margin targets. We are continuously improving our members' experience by expanding our streaming content with a focus on a programming mix of content that delights our members. In addition, we are perpetually enhancing our user interface and extending our streaming service to more internet-connected screens. Our members can now download a selection of titles for offline viewing.

Results of Operations

The following represents our consolidated performance highlights:

Consolidated revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017 increased $678.9 million as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016 due to growth in the average number of paid streaming memberships globally, the majority of which was growth in our international memberships reflecting our expansion and focus on Netflix as a global internet TV network. In addition, the average monthly revenue per paying streaming membership increased due to price changes and plan mix. The increase in operating income and net income for the three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016 was due primarily to increased revenues partially offset by increased content expenses as we continue to acquire, license and produce content, including more Netflix originals, as well as increased headcount costs to support continued improvements in our streaming service and our international expansion.

We offer three types of streaming membership plans. In the U.S. our "basic" plan is priced at $7.99 per month and includes access to standard definition quality streaming on a single screen at a time. Our "standard" plan is our most popular streaming plan and is priced at $9.99 per month and includes access to high definition quality streaming on two screens concurrently. Our "premium" plan is priced at $11.99 per month and includes access to high definition and ultra-high definition quality content on four screens concurrently. Internationally, the membership plans are structured similarly to the U.S. and range in price from the U.S. dollar equivalent of approximately $5.00 per month to $18.00 per month.

We expect that from time to time the prices of our membership plans in each country may change. For instance, in May 2014, in the U.S., we increased the price of our standard plan from $7.99 per month to $8.99 per month with existing memberships grandfathered for a two year period. In October 2015, in the U.S., we increased the price of this same standard plan from $8.99 per month to $9.99 per month with existing memberships grandfathered for a one year period. In 2016, we phased out grandfathered pricing, giving members the option of electing the basic streaming plan at $7.99 per month, continuing on the standard streaming plan at the higher price of $9.99 per month, or electing the premium plan at $11.99 per month.

The following represents the key elements to our segment results of operations:

Domestic Streaming Segment

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016

In the Domestic streaming segment, we derive revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of streaming content to our members in the United States. The increase in our domestic streaming revenues was primarily due to the 9% growth in the average number of paid memberships, as well as a 16% increase in the average monthly revenue per paying membership, resulting from our price changes and plan mix. In 2016, we phased out grandfathered pricing and cancellations by members whose grandfathered pricing expired were not material. Our standard plan continues to be the most popular plan choice for new memberships.

The increase in domestic streaming cost of revenues was primarily due to a $80.4 million increase in content expenses relating to our existing and new streaming content, including more exclusive and original programming.

Domestic marketing expenses increased primarily due to increased advertising, marketing partner and public relations spending.

Our Domestic streaming segment had a contribution margin of 41% for the three months ended March 31, 2017 , which increased as compared to the contribution margin of 36% for the three months ended March 31, 2016 due to growth in paid memberships and revenue which continued to outpace content spending.

International Streaming Segment

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016

In the International streaming segment, we derive revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of streaming content to our members outside the United States. We launched our streaming service in Canada in September 2010 and have expanded our services internationally as shown below.

The increase in our international revenues was due to the 45% growth in the average number of paid international memberships, in addition to an 11% increase in the average monthly revenue per paying membership. The increase in the average monthly revenue per paying membership was due to price changes and plan mix offset partially by unfavorable fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. We estimate that international revenues in the first quarter of 2017 would have been approximately $11.8 million higher if foreign exchange rates had remained consistent with the foreign exchange rates from the first quarter of 2016 . If foreign currency exchange rates fluctuate more than expected, revenues and average revenue per paying membership may differ from our expectations. Average paid international streaming memberships accounted for 47% of global average paid streaming memberships for the three months ended March 31, 2017 , as compared to 40% of global average paid streaming memberships for the same period in 2016 .

The increase in international cost of revenues was primarily due to a $187.1 million increase in content expenses relating to our existing and new streaming content, including more exclusive and original programming. Other costs increased $30.3 million primarily due to increases in our streaming delivery expenses, costs associated with our customer service call centers and payment processing fees, all driven by our growing member base.

International marketing expenses increased mainly due to increased advertising and increased payments to our partners.

International contribution margins increased to a $42.7 million contribution profit from a $104.2 million contribution loss for the three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016 as profit growth in our more mature markets offset investments in newer markets. We intend to continue to invest internationally and project a small loss for the second quarter of 2017.

Domestic DVD Segment

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016

In the Domestic DVD segment, we derive revenues from our DVD-by-mail membership services. The price per plan for DVD-by-mail varies from $4.99 to $14.99 per month according to the plan chosen by the member. DVD-by-mail plans differ by the number of DVDs that a member may have out at any given point. Members electing access to high definition Blu-ray discs, in addition to standard definition DVDs, pay a surcharge ranging from $2 to $3 per month for our most popular plans.

Our Domestic DVD segment contribution margin was flat for the three months ended March 31, 2017 , as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016 , as the decrease in DVD revenues driven by the decline in the average number of paid memberships was offset by a decrease in Domestic DVD cost of revenues resulting from lower content expenses and delivery expenses due to the decline in the number of DVD memberships and reduced usage by those members.

Consolidated Operating Expenses

Technology and Development

Technology and development expenses consist of payroll and related costs incurred in making improvements to our service offerings, including testing, maintaining and modifying our user interface, our recommendation, merchandising and streaming delivery technology and infrastructure. Technology and development expenses also include costs associated with computer hardware and software.

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016

The increase in technology and development expenses was primarily due to a $37.6 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation expense, resulting from an increase in compensation for existing employees and a 5% growth in average headcount supporting continued improvements in our streaming service and our international expansion. In addition, third party expenses, including costs associated with cloud computing, increased $8.9 million.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist of payroll and related expenses for corporate personnel, as well as professional fees and other general corporate expenses.

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016

General and administrative expenses increased primarily due to a $45.7 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation expense, resulting from a 57% increase in average headcount primarily to support our international and original content expansion, and an increase in compensation for existing employees. In addition, facilities-related costs increased $14.4 million, primarily driven by costs for our expanded Los Gatos, California headquarters and new Los Angeles, California facility, both of which were placed into operation in the first quarter of 2017.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists primarily of the interest associated with our outstanding long-term debt obligations, including the amortization of debt issuance costs, as well as interest on our lease financing obligations.

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016

Interest expense primarily consisted of interest on our Notes of $44.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 . The increase in interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016 was primarily due to the higher average aggregate principal of interest bearing notes outstanding in the first quarter of 2017 .

Interest and Other Income (Expense)

Interest and other income (expense) consists primarily of foreign exchange gains and losses on foreign currency denominated balances and interest earned on cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.

Three months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016