The Quarterly
NFLX Q1 2017 10-Q

Netflix Inc (NFLX) SEC Quarterly Report (10-Q) for Q2 2017

NFLX Q3 2017 10-Q
NFLX Q1 2017 10-Q NFLX Q3 2017 10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

x

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017

OR


o

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission File Number: 001-35727

Netflix, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

77-0467272

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

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, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

x

Accelerated filer

o

Non-accelerated filer

o

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company

o

Emerging growth company

o

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 June 30, 2017 , there were 431,749,744 shares of the registrant's common stock, par value $0.001, outstanding.



Table of Contents

Page

Part I. Financial Information

Item 1.

Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Statements of Operations

3

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

4

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

5

Consolidated Balance Sheets

6

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

7

Item 2.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

18

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

31

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

31

Part II. Other Information

32

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

32

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

32

Item 6.

Exhibits

32

Signatures

33

Exhibit Index

34



2

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NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share data)


Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Revenues

$

2,785,464


$

2,105,204


$

5,422,099


$

4,062,940


Cost of revenues

1,902,308


1,473,098


3,559,332


2,842,638


Marketing

274,323


216,029


545,593


424,039


Technology and development

267,083


207,300


524,191


410,808


General and administrative

213,943


138,407


408,234


265,632


Operating income

127,807


70,370


384,749


119,823


Other income (expense):

Interest expense

(55,482

)

(35,455

)

(102,224

)

(70,992

)

Interest and other income (expense)

(58,363

)

16,317


(44,771

)

42,280


Income before income taxes

13,962


51,232


237,754


91,111


Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

(51,638

)

10,477


(6,068

)

22,698


Net income

$

65,600


$

40,755


$

243,822


$

68,413


Earnings per share:

Basic

$

0.15


$

0.10


$

0.57


$

0.16


Diluted

$

0.15


$

0.09


$

0.55


$

0.16


Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

Basic

431,396


428,483


431,000


428,300


Diluted

446,262


438,154


445,862


438,073














See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.


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NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Net income

$

65,600


$

40,755


$

243,822


$

68,413


Other comprehensive income (loss):

Foreign currency translation adjustments

14,347


(4,446

)

16,926


3,096


Change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax of $89, $388, $166, and $1,222, respectively

144


636


271


2,001


Total other comprehensive income (loss)

14,491


(3,810

)

17,197


5,097


Comprehensive income

$

80,091


$

36,945


$

261,019


$

73,510


























See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.


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NETFLIX, INC.


Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income

$

65,600


$

40,755


$

243,822


$

68,413


Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:

Additions to streaming content assets

(2,664,421

)

(1,791,766

)

(5,013,087

)

(4,108,365

)

Increase in streaming content liabilities

514,890


238,517


881,147


1,144,240


Amortization of streaming content assets

1,550,794


1,175,361


2,856,477


2,233,882


Amortization of DVD content assets

16,511


20,021


35,109


40,462


Depreciation and amortization of property, equipment and intangibles

18,551


14,131


33,600


28,929


Stock-based compensation expense

44,028


44,112


88,916


86,534


Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

-


(13,323

)

-


(24,639

)

Other non-cash items

11,519


9,040


33,185


21,797


Foreign currency remeasurement loss on long-term debt

64,220


-


64,220


-


Deferred taxes

(20,702

)

(17,876

)

(47,466

)

(34,479

)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Other current assets

(80,199

)

24,091


(105,601

)

38,399


Accounts payable

(12,439

)

8,795


(23,439

)

(11,103

)

Accrued expenses

(48,042

)

2,099


45,500


43,331


Deferred revenue

46,609


22,753


61,830


50,255


Other non-current assets and liabilities

(41,447

)

(3,003

)

(32,597

)

(32,539

)

Net cash used in operating activities

(534,528

)

(226,293

)

(878,384

)

(454,883

)

Cash flows from investing activities:

Acquisition of DVD content assets

(7,624

)

(17,924

)

(32,996

)

(41,131

)

Purchases of property and equipment

(65,231

)

(10,814

)

(117,754

)

(19,239

)

Change in other assets

(1,064

)

907


(1,833

)

551


Purchases of short-term investments

(14,246

)

(18,492

)

(72,020

)

(53,454

)

Proceeds from sale of short-term investments

14,128


18,752


69,876


26,940


Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments

17,605


24,675


22,705


87,700


Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

(56,432

)

(2,896

)

(132,022

)

1,367


Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from issuance of debt

1,420,510


-


1,420,510


-


Debt issuance costs

(15,013

)

-


(15,013

)

-


Proceeds from issuance of common stock


14,826


4,232


39,004


7,768


Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

-


13,323


-


24,639


Other financing activities

63


57


124


112


Net cash provided by financing activities

1,420,386


17,612


1,444,625


32,519


Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

11,527


(2,742

)

16,982


2,592


Net change in cash and cash equivalents

840,953


(214,319

)

451,201


(418,405

)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

1,077,824


1,605,244


1,467,576


1,809,330


Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$

1,918,777


$

1,390,925


$

1,918,777


$

1,390,925


Supplemental disclosure:

Change in investing activities included in liabilities

$

(3,493

)

$

(1,254

)

$

(20,165

)

$

(1,757

)

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.


5

Table of Contents


NETFLIX, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and par value data)


As of

June 30,
2017

December 31,
2016

(unaudited)

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$

1,918,777


$

1,467,576


Short-term investments

246,125


266,206


Current content assets, net

4,149,111


3,726,307


Other current assets

386,772


260,202


Total current assets

6,700,785


5,720,291


Non-current content assets, net

9,078,474


7,274,501


Property and equipment, net

309,831


250,395


Other non-current assets

428,133


341,423


Total assets

$

16,517,223


$

13,586,610


Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

Current liabilities:

Current content liabilities

$

4,095,374


$

3,632,711


Accounts payable

273,398


312,842


Accrued expenses

248,871


197,632


Deferred revenue

505,302


443,472


Total current liabilities

5,122,945


4,586,657


Non-current content liabilities

3,356,090


2,894,654


Long-term debt

4,836,502


3,364,311


Other non-current liabilities

89,186


61,188


Total liabilities

13,404,723


10,906,810


Commitments and contingencies (Note 6)





Stockholders' equity:

Common stock, $0.001 par value; 4,990,000,000 shares authorized at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016; 431,749,744 and 430,054,212 issued and outstanding at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively

1,727,858


1,599,762


Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(31,368

)

(48,565

)

Retained earnings

1,416,010


1,128,603


Total stockholders' equity

3,112,500


2,679,800


Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

16,517,223


$

13,586,610






See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.


6

Table of Contents


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 has updated its planned adoption method to the modified 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


7

Table of Contents


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:

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

(in thousands, except per share data)

Basic earnings per share:

Net income

$

65,600


$

40,755


$

243,822


$

68,413


Shares used in computation:

Weighted-average common shares outstanding

431,396


428,483


431,000


428,300


Basic earnings per share

$

0.15


$

0.10


$

0.57


$

0.16


Diluted earnings per share:

Net income

$

65,600


$

40,755


$

243,822


$

68,413


Shares used in computation:

Weighted-average common shares outstanding

431,396


428,483


431,000


428,300


Employee stock options

14,866


9,671


14,862


9,773


Weighted-average number of shares

446,262


438,154


445,862


438,073


Diluted earnings per share

$

0.15


$

0.09


$

0.55


$

0.16



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:

Three Months Ended

Six months ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

(in thousands)

Employee stock options

215


1,930


226


1,634





8

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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:

As of June 30, 2017

Amortized
Cost

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

Estimated
Fair Value

Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Non-current assets (1)

(in thousands)

Cash

$

1,348,434


$

-


$

-


$

1,348,434


$

1,344,799


$

-


$

3,635


Level 1 securities:

Money market funds

275,248




-


275,248


273,978


-


1,270


Level 2 securities:

Time Deposits

300,000


-


-


300,000


300,000


-


-


Corporate debt securities

189,190


228


(392

)

189,026


-


189,026


-


Government securities

35,906


-


(169

)

35,737


-


35,737


-


Agency securities

21,569


-


(207

)

21,362


-


21,362


-


Total

$

2,170,347


$

228


$

(768

)

$

2,169,807


$

1,918,777


$

246,125


$

4,905



As of December 31, 2016

Amortized

Cost

Gross

Unrealized

Gains

Gross

Unrealized

Losses

Estimated

Fair Value

Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Non-current assets (1)

(in thousands)

Cash

$

1,267,523


$

-


$

-


$

1,267,523


$

1,264,126


$

-


$

3,397


Level 1 securities:

Money market funds

204,967


-


-


204,967


203,450


-


1,517


Level 2 securities:

Corporate debt securities

199,843


110


(731

)

199,222


-


199,222


-


Government securities

35,944


-


(128

)

35,816


-


35,816


-


Certificates of deposit

9,833


-


-


9,833


-


9,833


-


Agency securities

21,563


-


(228

)

21,335


-


21,335


-


Total

$

1,739,673


$

110


$

(1,087

)

$

1,738,696


$

1,467,576


$

266,206


$

4,914



(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 June 30, 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 and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. In addition, there were no material gross realized gains or losses in the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 , respectively.


9

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The estimated fair value of short-term investments by contractual maturity as of June 30, 2017 is as follows:

(in thousands)

Due within one year

$

55,718


Due after one year and through five years

190,407


Total short-term investments

$

246,125




4. Balance Sheet Components

Content Assets

Content assets consisted of the following:

As of

June 30,
2017

December 31,
2016

(in thousands)

Licensed content, net

$

11,195,034


$

9,595,315


Produced content, net





Released, less amortization

861,967


335,400


In production

1,057,283


1,010,463


In development

95,240


34,215


2,014,490


1,380,078


DVD, net

18,061


25,415


Total

$

13,227,585


$

11,000,808


Current content assets, net

$

4,149,111


$

3,726,307


Non-current content assets, net

$

9,078,474


$

7,274,501


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 29% , 77% and over 80% of the unamortized cost is expected to be amortized over the next twelve, thirty-six and forty-eight months, respectively. 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:

As of

June 30,
2017

December 31,
2016

Estimated Useful Lives


(in thousands)

Information technology assets

$

213,447


$

185,345


3 years

Furniture and fixtures

45,374


32,185


3 years

Buildings

40,681


40,681


30 years

Leasehold improvements

205,514


107,945


Over life of lease

DVD operations equipment

70,152


70,152


5 years

Corporate aircraft

29,304


-


8 years

Capital work-in-progress

11,409


108,296



Property and equipment, gross

615,881


544,604


Less: Accumulated depreciation

(306,050

)

(294,209

)

Property and equipment, net

$

309,831


$

250,395




10


The decrease in capital work-in-progress from December 31, 2016 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 June 30, 2017 , the Company had aggregate outstanding long-term debt of $4,836.5 million , net of $48.2 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 June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 :

Level 2 Fair Value as of

Principal Amount at Par

Issuance Date

Maturity

Interest Payment Dates

June 30, 2017

December 31, 2016

(in millions)

(in millions)

3.625% Senior Notes (1)

$

1,484.7


May 2017

2027

May 15 and November 15

$

1,513


$

-


4.375% Senior Notes

1,000.0


October 2016

2026

May 15 and November 15

1,004


975


5.50% Senior Notes

700.0


February 2015

2022

April 15 and October 15

762


758


5.875% Senior Notes

800.0


February 2015

2025

April 15 and October 15

888


868


5.750% Senior Notes

400.0


February 2014

2024

March 1 and September 1

438


431


5.375% Senior Notes

500.0


February 2013

2021

February 1 and August 1

541


539


$

4,884.7


(1) Debt is denominated in euro with a €1,300 million aggregate principal amount and is remeasured into U.S. dollars at each balance sheet date. Total proceeds were $1,420.5 million and remeasurement loss on long-term debt was $64.2 million for the three months ending June 30, 2017 .


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 June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , the Company was in compliance with all related covenants.



6. Commitments and Contingencies


Streaming Content

As of June 30, 2017 , the Company had $15.7 billion of obligations comprised of $4.1 billion included in "Current content liabilities" and $3.4 billion of "Non-current content liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and $8.2 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:


Table of Contents


As of 

June 30,
2017

December 31,
2016

(in thousands)

Less than one year

$

6,592,517


$

6,200,611


Due after one year and through three years

7,461,470


6,731,336


Due after three years and through five years

1,488,760


1,386,934


Due after five years

156,640


160,606


Total streaming content obligations

$

15,699,387


$

14,479,487


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 June 30, 2017 , 11.9 million shares were reserved for future grants under the 2011 Stock Plan.


12

Table of Contents


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

Options Outstanding

Shares
Available
for Grant

Number of
Shares

Weighted-
Average
Exercise Price

(per share)

Weighted-Average Remaining
Contractual Term
(in years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
(in thousands)

Balances as of December 31, 2016

13,289,953


22,437,347


$

44.83


Granted

(1,374,941

)

1,374,941


145.41


Exercised

-


(1,695,532

)

23.11


Expired

-


(1,561

)

$

3.25


Balances as of June 30, 2017

11,915,012


22,115,195


$

52.75


6.11

$

2,141,769


Vested and exercisable as of June 30, 2017

22,115,195


$

52.75


6.11

$

2,141,769



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 second 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 second 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:

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

(in thousands)

Total intrinsic value of options exercised

$

101,727


$

37,268


$

208,824


$

68,725


Cash received from options exercised

$

14,826


$

4,232


$

39,004


$

7,768


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:

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Dividend yield

-

%

-

%

-

%

-

%

Expected volatility

34

%

45

%

34% - 37%


45% - 50%


Risk-free interest rate

2.37

%

1.83

%

2.37%- 2.45%


1.83% - 2.04%


Suboptimal exercise factor

2.51


2.48


2.48 - 2.51


2.48


Weighted-average fair value (per share)

$

67.21


$

48.38


$

64.67


$

49.52


Total stock-based compensation expense (in thousands)

$

44,028


$

44,112


$

88,916


$

86,534


Total income tax impact on provision (in thousands)

$

14,477


$

16,571


$

29,178


$

32,534



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.




13

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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 and six months ended June 30, 2017 :


Foreign currency

Change in unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities

Total

(in thousands)

Balance as of March 31, 2017

$

(45,387

)

$

(472

)

$

(45,859

)

Other comprehensive income before reclassifications

14,347


144


14,491


Net decrease in other comprehensive loss

14,347


144


14,491


Balance as of June 30, 2017

$

(31,040

)

$

(328

)

$

(31,368

)



Foreign currency

Change in unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities

Total

(in thousands)

Balance as of December 31, 2016

$

(47,966

)

$

(599

)

$

(48,565

)

Other comprehensive income before reclassifications

16,926


271


17,197


Net decrease in other comprehensive loss

16,926


271


17,197


Balance as of June 30, 2017

$

(31,040

)

$

(328

)

$

(31,368

)

The amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss were immaterial for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 .



9. Income Taxes

The effective tax rates for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were (370)% and 20% , respectively. The effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were (3)% and 25% , respectively. The effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 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, foreign income taxed at rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate and Federal and California research and development ("R&D") credits, partially offset by state taxes and non-deductible expenses. The effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 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 and six months ended June 30, 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 and an increase in foreign income taxed at rates lower than the US statutory rate.

Gross unrecognized tax benefits were $29.3 million and $19.7 million as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively. The gross unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized by the Company, will result in a reduction of approximately $25.8 million to the provision for income taxes thereby favorably impacting the Company's effective tax rate. As of June 30, 2017 , gross unrecognized tax benefits of $8.9 million was classified as "Other non-current liabilities" and $20.4 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 (benefit) 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 (benefit) for income taxes" were not material in any of the periods presented.

Deferred tax assets include $318.2 million and $227.2 million classified as "Other non-current assets" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 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 June 30, 2017 , the Company has a valuation allowance of $21.9 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


14

Table of Contents


period in which they occur. This will result in increased volatility in the Company's effective tax rate. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 , the Company recognized a discrete tax benefit related to the excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation of $32.8 million and $68.8 million , respectively.

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 or multi-territory 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:

As of

June 30,
2017

December 31, 2016

(in thousands)

United States

$

286,897


$

236,977


International

22,934


13,418



15

Table of Contents


The following tables represent segment information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 :

As of/ Three Months Ended June 30, 2017

Domestic
Streaming

International
Streaming

Domestic
DVD

Consolidated

(in thousands)

Total memberships at end of period (1)

51,921


52,031


3,758


-


Revenues

$

1,505,499


$

1,165,228


$

114,737


$

2,785,464


Cost of revenues

831,962


1,017,612


52,734


1,902,308


Marketing

113,608


160,715


-


274,323


Contribution profit (loss)

$

559,929


$

(13,099

)

$

62,003


$

608,833


Other operating expenses

481,026


Operating income

127,807


Other income (expense)

(113,845

)

Benefit from income taxes

(51,638

)

Net income

$

65,600


As of/ Six Months Ended June 30, 2017

Domestic
Streaming

International
Streaming

Domestic
DVD

Consolidated

(in thousands)

Total memberships at end of period (1)

51,921


52,031


3,758


-


Revenues

$

2,975,541


$

2,211,427


$

235,131


$

5,422,099


Cost of revenues

1,581,450


1,864,929


112,953


3,559,332


Marketing

228,646


316,947


-


545,593


Contribution profit

$

1,165,445


$

29,551


$

122,178


$

1,317,174


Other operating expenses

932,425


Operating income

384,749


Other income (expense)

(146,995

)

Benefit from income taxes

(6,068

)

Net income

$

243,822



The following tables represent segment information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 :

As of/ Three Months Ended June 30, 2016

Domestic
Streaming

International
Streaming

Domestic
DVD

Consolidated

(in thousands)

Total memberships at end of period (1)

47,129


36,048


4,530


-


Revenues

$

1,208,271


$

758,201


$

138,732


$

2,105,204


Cost of revenues

707,106


698,162


67,830


1,473,098


Marketing

86,806


129,223


-


216,029


Contribution profit (loss)

$

414,359


$

(69,184

)

$

70,902


$

416,077


Other operating expenses

345,707


Operating income

70,370


Other income (expense)

(19,138

)

Provision for income taxes

10,477


Net income

$

40,755



16

Table of Contents


As of/ Six Months Ended June 30, 2016

Domestic
Streaming

International
Streaming

Domestic
DVD

Consolidated

(in thousands)

Total memberships at end of period (1)

47,129


36,048


4,530


-


Revenues

$

2,369,512


$

1,409,949


$

283,479


$

4,062,940


Cost of revenues

1,373,652


1,328,061


140,925


2,842,638


Marketing

168,748


255,291


-


424,039


Contribution profit (loss)

$

827,112


$

(173,403

)

$

142,554


$

796,263


Other operating expenses

676,440


Operating income

119,823


Other income (expense)

(28,712

)

Provision for income taxes

22,698


Net income

$

68,413



The following table represents the amortization of content assets:

Domestic

Streaming

International

Streaming

Domestic

DVD

Consolidated

(in thousands)

Three months ended June 30,

2017

$

696,688


$

854,106


$

16,511


$

1,567,305


2016

581,390


593,971


20,021


1,195,382


Six months ended June 30,

2017

1,305,436


1,551,041


35,109


2,891,586


2016

1,112,129


1,121,753


40,462


2,274,344



(1)

A membership (also referred to as a subscription or a member) is defined as the right to receive Netflix service following sign-up and a method of payment being provided. Memberships are assigned to territories based on the geographic location used at time of sign-up as determined by the Company's internal systems, which utilize industry standard geo-location technology. The Company offers free-trial memberships to certain new and rejoining members. Total members include those who are on a free-trial as long as a method of payment has been provided. A membership is canceled and ceases to be reflected in the above metrics as of the effective cancellation date. Voluntary cancellations become effective at the end of the prepaid membership period, while involuntary cancellation of the service, as a result of a failed method of payment, becomes effective immediately.




17

Table of Contents




Item 2.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations


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; dividends; impact of foreign currency and exchange rate fluctuations, including on net income, revenues and average revenues per paying member; investments in global streaming, including original content; impact of content on membership growth; cash use in connection with the acquisition, licensing and production of content; liquidity and free cash flow; unrecognized tax benefits; deferred tax assets; effective tax rate; accessing and obtaining additional capital; accounting treatment for changes related to content assets; and future contractual obligations, including unknown streaming content obligations and timing of payments. 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 104 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, which may affect historical seasonal patterns. 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 also download a selection of titles for offline viewing.


Results of Operations


The following represents our consolidated performance highlights:

As of/ Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)


Global streaming memberships at end of period

103,952


83,177


20,775


25

%

Global streaming average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

9.21


$

8.32


$

0.89


11

%

Revenues

2,785,464


2,105,204


680,260


32

%

Global operating income

127,807


70,370


57,437


82

%

Global operating margin

4.6

%

3.3

%

1.3

%

39

%

Net income

65,600


40,755


24,845


61

%


18

Table of Contents



Consolidated revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2017 increased $680.3 million as compared to the three months ended June 30, 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 primarily due to price changes and plan mix. The increase in operating income for the three months ended June 30, 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, our international expansion, and increased content production activities. The increase in net income was comprised of an increase in operating income and an increase in the tax benefit primarily due to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017, partially offset by an increase in interest expense primarily due to the higher principal of notes outstanding and an increase in foreign exchange losses primarily due to the remeasurement of our euro denominated senior notes.

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:

We define contribution profit (loss) as revenues less cost of revenues and marketing expenses incurred by the segment. We believe this is an important measure of our operating segment performance as it represents each segment's performance before global corporate costs.

For the Domestic and International streaming segments, content expenses, which include the amortization of the streaming content assets and other expenses associated with the licensing and acquisition of streaming content, represent the vast majority of cost of revenues. Streaming content rights were generally obtained for our current geographic regions. As we expanded internationally, we obtained additional rights for new geographies. With our global expansion, we now aspire to obtain global rights for our content. We allocate this content between the Domestic and International streaming segments based on estimated fair market value. Other cost of revenues such as streaming delivery expenses, customer service and payment processing fees, including those we pay to our integrated payment partners, tend to be lower as a percentage of total cost of revenues. We have built our own global content delivery network ("Open Connect") to help us efficiently stream a high volume of content to our members over the internet. Streaming delivery expenses, therefore, include equipment costs related to Open Connect and all third-party costs, such as cloud computing costs, associated with delivering streaming content over the internet. Cost of revenues in the Domestic DVD segment consist primarily of delivery expenses, content expenses, including amortization of DVD content assets and revenue sharing expenses, and other expenses associated with our DVD processing and customer service centers. Delivery expenses for the Domestic DVD segment consist of the postage costs to mail DVDs to and from our members and the packaging and label costs for the mailers.

For the Domestic and International streaming segments, marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising expenses and revenue sharing payments made to our marketing partners, including CE manufacturers, MVPDs, mobile operators and ISPs. Advertising expenses include promotional activities such as digital and television advertising. Marketing expenses are incurred by our Domestic and International streaming segments given our focus on building consumer awareness of the streaming offerings, and in particular our original content. Marketing expenses incurred by our International streaming segment have been significant and fluctuate dependent upon the number of international territories in which our streaming service is offered and the timing of the launch of new territories.

We have demonstrated our ability to grow domestic streaming contribution margin as evidenced by the increase in contribution margin from 17% in 2012 to 37% in the second quarter of 2017 . As a result of our focus on growing the streaming segments, contribution margins for the Domestic and International streaming segments are lower than for our Domestic DVD segment.




19

Table of Contents


Domestic Streaming Segment

Three months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

As of/ Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)

Memberships:

Net additions

1,067


162


905


559

%

Memberships at end of period

51,921


47,129


4,792


10

%

Paid memberships at end of period

50,323


46,004


4,319


9

%

Average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

10.07


$

8.78


$

1.29


15

%

Contribution profit:

Revenues

$

1,505,499


$

1,208,271


$

297,228


25

%

Cost of revenues

831,962


707,106


124,856


18

%

Marketing

113,608


86,806


26,802


31

%

Contribution profit

559,929


414,359


145,570


35

%

Contribution margin

37

%

34

%


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 15% increase in the average monthly revenue per paying membership, resulting from our price changes and plan mix. In the second half of 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 $114.6 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 and public relations.

Our Domestic streaming segment had a contribution margin of 37% for the three months ended June 30, 2017 , which increased as compared to the contribution margin of 34% for the three months ended June 30, 2016 due to growth in paid memberships and revenue which continued to outpace content spending.


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

As of/ Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)

Memberships:

Net additions

2,490


2,391


99


4

%

Memberships at end of period

51,921


47,129


4,792


10

%

Paid memberships at end of period

50,323


46,004


4,319


9

%

Average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

10.07


$

8.74


$

1.33


15

%

Contribution profit:

Revenues

$

2,975,541


$

2,369,512


$

606,029


26

%

Cost of revenues

1,581,450


1,373,652


207,798


15

%

Marketing

228,646


168,748


59,898


35

%

Contribution profit

1,165,445


827,112


338,333


41

%

Contribution margin

39

%

35

%

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 15% increase in average monthly revenue per paying membership, resulting from our price changes and plan mix.


20

Table of Contents


The increase in domestic streaming cost of revenues was primarily due to a $195.0 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 and public relations.

Our Domestic streaming segment had a contribution margin of 39% for the six months ended June 30, 2017 , which increased as compared to the contribution margin of 35% for the six months ended June 30, 2016 due to growth in paid memberships and revenue which continued to outpace content spending.


International Streaming Segment

Three months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

As of/ Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)

Memberships:

Net additions

4,137


1,515


2,622


173

%

Memberships at end of period

52,031


36,048


15,983


44

%

Paid memberships at end of period

48,713


33,892


14,821


44

%

Average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

8.29


$

7.67


$

0.62


8

%

Contribution profit (loss):

Revenues

$

1,165,228


$

758,201


$

407,027


54

%

Cost of revenues

1,017,612


698,162


319,450


46

%

Marketing

160,715


129,223


31,492


24

%

Contribution profit (loss)

(13,099

)

(69,184

)

56,085


81

%

Contribution margin

(1

)%

(9

)%




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 42% growth in the average number of paid international memberships, in addition to an 8% 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 second quarter of 2017 would have been approximately $22.6 million higher if foreign exchange rates had remained consistent with the foreign exchange rates from the second 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 48% of global average paid streaming memberships for the three months ended June 30, 2017 , as compared to 42% of global average paid streaming memberships for the same period in 2016 .

The increase in international cost of revenues was primarily due to a $284.3 million increase in content expenses relating to our existing and new streaming content, including more exclusive and original programming. Other costs increased $35.1 million primarily due to


21

Table of Contents


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 public relations.

International contribution loss for the three months ended June 30, 2017 was $13.1 million as compared to a contribution loss of $69.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 as profit growth in our more mature markets offset investments in newer markets.


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

As of/ Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)

Memberships:

Net additions

7,666


6,024


1,642


27

%

Memberships at end of period

52,031


36,048


15,983


44

%

Paid memberships at end of period

48,713


33,892


14,821


44

%

Average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

8.20


$

7.50


$

0.70


9

%

Contribution profit (loss):

Revenues

$

2,211,427


$

1,409,949


$

801,478


57

%

Cost of revenues

1,864,929


1,328,061


536,868


40

%

Marketing

316,947


255,291


61,656


24

%

Contribution profit (loss)

29,551


(173,403

)

202,954


117

%

Contribution margin

1

%

(12

)%

The increase in our international revenues was due to the 44% growth in our average number of paid international memberships, in addition to a 9% 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, partially offset by unfavorable fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. We estimate that international revenues in the six months ended June 30, 2017 would have been approximately $34.4 million higher if foreign exchange rates had remained consistent with the foreign exchange rates for the six months ended June 30, 2016.

The increase in international cost of revenues was primarily due to a $471.4 million increase in content expenses relating to our existing and new streaming content, including more exclusive and original programming. Other costs increased $65.5 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, partially offset by decreases resulting from exchange rate fluctuations.

International marketing expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2017 increased mainly due to increased advertising and public relations, as well as increased payments to our partners.

International contribution profit grew to $29.6 million as opposed to a $173.4 million loss for the six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016 as profit growth in our more mature markets offset investments in newer markets.



22

Table of Contents




Domestic DVD Segment

Three months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

As of/ Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)

Memberships:

Net losses

(186

)

(211

)

(25

)

(12

)%

Memberships at end of period

3,758


4,530


(772

)

(17

)%

Paid memberships at end of period

3,692


4,435


(743

)

(17

)%

Average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

10.12


$

10.18


$

(0.06

)

(1

)%

Contribution profit:

Revenues

$

114,737


$

138,732


$

(23,995

)

(17

)%

Cost of revenues

52,734


67,830


(15,096

)

(22

)%

Contribution profit

62,003


70,902


(8,899

)

(13

)%

Contribution margin

54

%

51

%


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 relatively flat for the three months ended June 30, 2017 , as compared to the three months ended June 30, 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.


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

As of/ Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except revenue per membership and percentages)

Memberships:

Net losses

(356

)

(374

)

(18

)

(5

)%

Memberships at end of period

3,758


4,530


(772

)

(17

)%

Paid memberships at end of period

3,692


4,435


(743

)

(17

)%

Average monthly revenue per paying membership

$

10.14


$

10.21


$

(0.07

)

(1

)%

Contribution profit:

Revenues

$

235,131


$

283,479


$

(48,348

)

(17

)%

Cost of revenues

112,953


140,925


(27,972

)

(20

)%

Contribution profit

122,178


142,554


(20,376

)

(14

)%

Contribution margin

52

%

50

%

Our Domestic DVD segment contribution margin was relatively flat for the six months ended June 30, 2017 , as compared to the six months ended June 30, 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.



23

Table of Contents


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 June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

Technology and development

$

267,083


$

207,300


$

59,783


29

%

As a percentage of revenues

10

%

10

%


The increase in technology and development expenses was primarily due to a $40.7 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation expense, resulting from an increase in compensation for existing employees and a 4% 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 $13.1 million.


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

Technology and development

$

524,191


$

410,808


$

113,383


28

%

As a percentage of revenues

10

%

10

%


The increase in technology and development expenses was primarily due to a $78.3 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation expense, resulting from an increase in compensation for existing employees and a 4% 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 $21.9 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 June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016


Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

General and administrative

$

213,943


$

138,407


$

75,536


55

%

As a percentage of revenues

8

%

7

%


General and administrative expenses increased primarily due to a $51.7 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation expense, resulting from a 54% 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 $12.0 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.



24

Table of Contents


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016


Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

General and administrative

$

408,234


$

265,632


$

142,602


54

%

As a percentage of revenues

8

%

7

%


General and administrative expenses increased primarily due to a $97.4 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation expense, resulting from a 55% 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 $28.0 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. In addition, third party expenses increased $16.9 million.



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 June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

Interest expense

$

(55,482

)

$

(35,455

)

$

(20,027

)

(56

)%

As a percentage of revenues

(2

)%

(2

)%


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

Interest expense

$

(102,224

)

$

(70,992

)

$

(31,232

)

(44

)%

As a percentage of revenues

(2

)%

(2

)%


Interest expense primarily consisted of interest on our Notes of $53.3 million and $98.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 . The increase in interest expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 was primarily due to the higher average aggregate principal of interest bearing notes outstanding.

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 June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

Three Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

Q2'17 vs. Q2'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

Interest and other income (expense)

$

(58,363

)

$

16,317


$

(74,680

)

(458

)%

As a percentage of revenues

(2

)%

1

%


25

Table of Contents



Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

Six Months Ended

Change

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

YTD'17 vs. YTD'16

(in thousands, except percentages)

Interest and other income (expense)

$

(44,771

)

$

42,280


$

(87,051

)

(206

)%

As a percentage of revenues

(1

)%

1

%


Interest and other income (expense) increased for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 , due to foreign exchange losses of $60.7 million and $49.4 million, respectively, compared to gains of $14.0 million and $38.2 million, respectively, for the corresponding periods in 2016 . In both the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 , the foreign exchange losses were primarily driven by the $64.2 million loss from the remeasurement of our €1,300.0 million Senior Notes partially offset by the remeasurement of cash and content liability positions in currencies other than the functional currencies of our European and U.S. entities.


Provision for Income Taxes

The effective tax rates for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were (370)% and 20%, respectively. The effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2017 differed from the Federal statutory rate primarily due to the recognition of excess tax benefits attributable to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, foreign income taxed at rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate and Federal and California research and development ("R&D") credits partially offset by state taxes and non-deductible expenses. The effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2016 , differed from the Federal statutory rate primarily due to the Federal and California R&D credits partially offset by state taxes, foreign taxes and non-deductible expenses. The decrease in our effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2017 , as compared to the same period in 2016 was due primarily to the recognition of the excess tax benefits attributable to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 and an increase in foreign income taxed at rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate.

The effective tax rates for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were (3%) and 25%, respectively. The effective tax rates for the six months ended June 30, 2017, differed from the Federal statutory rate primarily due to the recognition of excess tax benefits attributable to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, foreign income taxed at rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate and Federal and California R&D credits, partially offset by state taxes and non-deductible expenses. The effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2016, differed from the Federal statutory rate primarily due to the Federal and California research and development credits partially offset by state taxes, foreign taxes and non-deductible expenses. The decrease in our effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016 was attributable primarily due to the recognition of the excess tax benefits attributable to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 and an increase in foreign income taxed at rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate.


Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments increased $431.1 million from $1,733.8 million as of December 31, 2016 to $2,164.9 million as of June 30, 2017 . The increase in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments in the six months ended June 30, 2017 was primarily due to the proceeds from the issuance of debt partially offset by cash used in operations.

Our primary uses of cash include the acquisition, licensing and production of content, streaming delivery, marketing programs and personnel-related costs. Investments in original content, and in particular content that we produce and own, require more cash upfront relative to licensed content. We expect to significantly increase our investments in global streaming content, particularly in original content, which will impact our liquidity and result in future negative free cash flows for many years. We currently anticipate that cash flows from operations, together with available funds and access to financing sources, will continue to be sufficient to meet our cash needs for at least the next twelve months.

In May 2017, we issued €1,300.0 million of long-term debt. Long-term debt, net of debt issuance costs, was $4,836.5 million and $3,364.3 million as of June 30, 2017 , and December 31, 2016 , respectively. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information. Our ability to obtain any additional financing that we may choose to, or need to, obtain will depend on, among other things, our development efforts, business plans, operating performance and the condition of the capital markets at the time we seek financing. We may not be able to obtain such financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our common stock, and our stockholders may experience dilution.


26

Table of Contents


As of June 30, 2017 , cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries amounted to $396.8 million . If these funds are needed for our operations in the U.S., we would be required to accrue and pay U.S. income taxes and foreign withholding taxes on the portion associated with undistributed earnings for certain foreign subsidiaries.

Free Cash Flow

We define free cash flow as cash provided by (used in) operating and investing activities excluding the non-operational cash flows from purchases, maturities and sales of short-term investments. We believe free cash flow is an important liquidity metric because it measures, during a given period, the amount of cash generated that is available to repay debt obligations, make investments in content and for certain other activities or the amount of cash used in operations, including investments in global streaming content. Free cash flow is considered a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered in isolation of, or as a substitute for, net income, operating income, cash flow (used in) provided by operating activities, or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP.

In assessing liquidity in relation to our results of operations, we compare free cash flow to net income, noting that the three major recurring differences are excess content payments over expense, non-cash stock-based compensation expense and other working capital differences. The excess content payments over expense is variable based on the payment terms of our content agreements and is expected to increase as we enter into more agreements with upfront cash payments, such as licensing and production of original content. In the first half of 2017, the ratio of content payments over content expense was 1.4. Working capital differences include deferred revenue, taxes and semi-annual interest payments on our outstanding debt. Our receivables from members generally settle quickly and deferred revenue is a source of cash flow.

Three months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2016

Three Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

(in thousands)

Net cash used in operating activities

$

(534,528

)

$

(226,293

)

Net cash used in investing activities

(56,432

)

(2,896

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

1,420,386


17,612


Non-GAAP free cash flow reconciliation:

Net cash used in operating activities

(534,528

)

(226,293

)

Acquisition of DVD content assets

(7,624

)

(17,924

)

Purchases of property and equipment

(65,231

)

(10,814

)

Change in other assets

(1,064

)

907


Non-GAAP free cash flow

$

(608,447

)

$

(254,124

)


Cash used in operating activities increased $308.2 million to $534.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 , compared to the same period of 2016 . The significant net cash used in operations is due primarily to the increase in investments in streaming content that requires more upfront payments. The payments for streaming content assets increased $596.3 million or 38%. In addition, we had increased payments associated with higher operating expenses. The increased use of cash was partially offset by a $680.3 million or 32% increase in revenues.

Cash used in investing activities increased $53.5 million, primarily due to an increase in the purchases of property and equipment of $54.4 million, primarily due to the expansion of our Los Gatos, California headquarters and our new Los Angeles, California facility.

Cash provided by financing activities increased $1,402.8 million in the quarter ended June 30, 2017 , due to the proceeds from the issuance of debt of $1,405.5 million, net of $15.0 million of issuance costs.

Free cash flow was $674.0 million lower than net income for the three months ended June 30, 2017 primarily due to $598.7 million of cash payments for streaming content assets over streaming amortization expense coupled with $119.3 million of non-favorable other working capital differences partially offset by $44.0 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense.

Free cash flow was $294.9 million lower than net income for the three months ended June 30, 2016 , primarily due to $377.9 million of cash payments for streaming content assets over streaming amortization expense partially offset by $44.1 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $38.9 million favorable other working capital differences.


27

Table of Contents


Six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2016

Six Months Ended

June 30,
2017

June 30,
2016

(in thousands)

Net cash used in operating activities

$

(878,384

)

$

(454,883

)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

(132,022

)

1,367


Net cash provided by financing activities

1,444,625


32,519


Non-GAAP free cash flow reconciliation:

Net cash used in operating activities

(878,384

)

(454,883

)

Acquisition of DVD content assets

(32,996

)

(41,131

)

Purchases of property and equipment

(117,754

)

(19,239

)

Change in other assets

(1,833

)

551


Non-GAAP free cash flow

$

(1,030,967

)

$

(514,702

)


Cash used in operating activities increased $423.5 million to $878.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 , compared to the same period of 2016 . The significant net cash used in operations is due primarily to the increase in investments in streaming content that requires more upfront payments. The payments for streaming content assets increased $1,167.8 million or 39%. In addition, we had increased payments associated with higher operating expenses. The increased use of cash was partially offset by a $1,359.2 million or 33% increase in revenues.

Cash provided by investing activities decreased $133.4 million, primarily due to a decrease in the proceeds from the sale and maturities of short-term investments of $40.6 million, net of purchases, coupled with an increase in the purchases of property and equipment of $98.5 million, primarily related to the expansion of our Los Gatos, California headquarters and our new Los Angeles, California facility.

Cash provided by financing activities increased $1,412.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2017 , due to the proceeds from the issuance of debt of $1,405.5 million, net of $15.0 million of issuance costs.

Free cash flow was $1,274.8 million lower than net income for the six months ended June 30, 2017 primarily due to $1,275.5 million of cash payments for streaming content assets over streaming amortization expense coupled with $88.2 million non-favorable other working capital differences, partially offset by $88.9 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expenses.

Free cash flow was $583.1 million lower than net income for the six months ended June 30, 2016 , primarily due to $730.2 million of cash payments for streaming content assets over streaming amortization expense partially offset by $86.5 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $60.6 million favorable other working capital differences.

Contractual Obligations


For the purpose of this table, contractual obligations for purchases of goods or services are defined as agreements that are enforceable and legally binding and that specify all significant terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. The expected timing of the payment of the obligations discussed below is estimated based on information available to us as of June 30, 2017 . Timing of payments and actual amounts paid may be different depending on the time of receipt of goods or services or changes to agreed-upon amounts for some obligations. The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of June 30, 2017 :


Payments due by Period

Contractual obligations (in thousands):

Total

Less than
1 year

1-3 years

3-5 years

More than
5 years

Streaming content obligations (1)

$

15,699,387


$

6,592,517


$

7,461,470


$

1,488,760


$

156,640


Debt (2)

6,663,805


235,189


465,893


1,632,601


4,330,122


Lease obligations (3)

695,877


85,859


167,447


148,051


294,520


Other purchase obligations (4)

699,110


428,448


190,878


40,371


39,413


Total

$

23,758,179



$

7,342,013


$

8,285,688


$

3,309,783


$

4,820,695




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(1)

As of June 30, 2017 , streaming content obligations were comprised of $4.1 billion included in "Current content liabilities" and $3.4 billion of "Non-current content liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and $8.2 billion of obligations that are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as they did not then meet the criteria for recognition.

Streaming content obligations increased $1.2 billion from $14.5 billion as of December 31, 2016 to $15.7 billion as of June 30, 2017 , primarily due to multi-year commitments associated with the continued expansion of our exclusive and original programming.

Streaming content obligations include amounts related to the acquisition, licensing and production of streaming content. 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 we enter 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 these types of agreements. The contractual obligations table above does not include any estimated obligation for the unknown future titles, payment for which could range from less than one year to more than five years. However, these unknown obligations are expected to be significant and we believe could include approximately $3 billion to $5 billion over the next three years, with the payments for the vast majority of such amounts expected to occur after the next twelve months. The foregoing range is based on considerable management judgments and the actual amounts may differ. Once we know the title that we will receive and the license fees, we include the amount in the contractual obligations table above.


(2)

Long-term debt obligations include our Notes consisting of principal and interest payments. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for further details.


(3)

Lease obligations include lease financing obligations of $17.1 million related to a portion of our current Los Gatos, California headquarters for which we are the deemed owner for accounting purposes, commitments of $529.7 million for our expanded headquarters in Los Gatos, California, and our new office space in Los Angeles, California and other commitments of  $149.1 million for facilities under non-cancelable operating leases. These leases have expiration dates varying through approximately 2028.


(4)

Other purchase obligations include all other non-cancelable contractual obligations. These contracts are primarily related to streaming delivery, DVD content acquisition, and miscellaneous open purchase orders for which we have not received the related services or goods.


As of June 30, 2017 , we had gross unrecognized tax benefits of $29.3 million which was classified in "Other non-current liabilities" and a reduction to deferred tax assets which was classified as "Other non-current assets" in the consolidated balance sheets.  At this time, an estimate of the range of reasonably possible adjustments to the balance of unrecognized tax benefits cannot be made.


Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have transactions with unconsolidated entities, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, whereby we have financial guarantees, subordinated retained interests, derivative instruments, or other contingent arrangements that expose us to material continuing risks, contingent liabilities, or any other obligation under a variable interest in an unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk, or credit risk support to us.


Indemnification

The information set forth under Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements under the caption "Indemnification" is incorporated herein by reference.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has defined a company's critical accounting policies as the ones that are most important to the portrayal of a company's financial condition and results of operations, and which require a company to make its most difficult and subjective judgments. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting policies and judgments addressed below. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.



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Streaming Content

We acquire, license and produce content, including original programing, in order to offer our members unlimited viewing of TV shows and films. The content licenses are for a fixed fee and specific windows of availability. Payment terms for certain content licenses and the production of content require more upfront cash payments relative to the amortization expense. Payments for content, including additions to streaming assets and the changes in related liabilities, are classified within "Net cash used in operating activities" on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

For licenses we capitalize the fee per title and record a corresponding liability at the gross amount of the liability when the license period begins, the cost of the title is known and the title is accepted and available for streaming. The portion available for streaming within one year is recognized as "Current content assets, net" and the remaining portion as "Non-current content assets, net" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

For productions, we capitalize costs associated with the production, including development cost, direct costs and production overhead. We include these amounts in "Non-current content assets, net" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Participations and residuals are expensed in line with the amortization of production costs.

Based on factors including historical and estimated viewing patterns, we amortize the content assets (licensed and produced) in "Cost of revenues" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations, over the shorter of each title's contractual window of availability or estimated period of use, beginning with the month of first availability. The amortization period typically ranges from six months to five years. For content where we expect more upfront viewing, due to the additional merchandising and marketing efforts, we amortize on an accelerated basis. We review factors that impact the amortization of the content assets on a regular basis. Our estimates related to these factors require considerable management judgment.

Our business model is subscription based as opposed to a model generating revenues at a specific title level. Therefore, content assets, both licensed and produced are reviewed in aggregate at the operating segment level when an event or change in circumstances indicates a change in the expected usefulness or that the fair value may be less than amortized cost. To date, we have not identified any such event or changes in circumstances. If such changes are identified in the future, these aggregated content assets will be stated at the lower of unamortized cost, net realizable value or fair value. In addition, unamortized costs for assets that have been, or are expected to be, abandoned are written off. No material write-down from unamortized cost was recorded in any of the periods presented.


Income Taxes

We record a provision for income taxes for the anticipated tax consequences of our reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Deferred income taxes are recognized by applying enacted statutory tax rates applicable to future years to differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases as well as net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance for any tax benefits for which future realization is uncertain. As of June 30, 2017 , there was a valuation allowance of $21.9 million primarily related to foreign tax credit carryovers. There was no valuation allowance as of June 30, 2016 .

Although we believe our assumptions, judgments and estimates are reasonable, changes in tax laws or our interpretation of tax laws and the resolution of any tax audits could significantly impact the amounts provided for income taxes in our consolidated financial statements.

In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets, in full or in part, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including our past operating results, and our forecast of future earnings, future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. The assumptions utilized in determining future taxable income require significant judgment and are consistent with the plans and estimates we are using to manage the underlying businesses. Actual operating results in future years could differ from our current assumptions, judgments and estimates. In the event we were to determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of our net deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax assets would be charged to earnings in the period in which we make such determination.

We did not recognize certain tax benefits from uncertain tax positions within the provision for income taxes. We may recognize a tax benefit only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the consolidated financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. At June 30, 2017 , our estimated gross unrecognized tax benefits were $29.3 million of which $25.8 million , if recognized, would favorably impact our future earnings. Due to uncertainties in any tax audit outcome, our estimates of the ultimate settlement of our unrecognized tax positions may change and the actual tax benefits may differ significantly from the estimates. See Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding income taxes.


Stock-Based Compensation

We grant fully vested non-qualified stock options to our employees on a monthly basis. As a result of immediate vesting, stock-based compensation expense is fully recognized on the grant date, and no estimate is required for post-vesting option forfeitures. Stock-based compensation expense at the grant date is based on the total number of options granted and an estimate of the fair value of the awards.


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We calculate the fair value of our stock option grants using a lattice-binomial model. This model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions. Changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the estimate of fair value of options granted and our results of operations could be impacted.

Expected Volatility:  The Company calculates expected volatility based solely on implied volatility. We believe that implied volatility of publicly traded options in our 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 our common stock. An increase/decrease of 10% in our computation of expected volatility would increase/decrease the total stock-based compensation expense by approximately $5.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 .

Suboptimal Exercise Factor:  Our computation of the suboptimal exercise factor is based on historical and estimated option exercise behavior. An increase/decrease in the suboptimal exercise factor of 10% would increase/decrease the total stock-based compensation expense by approximately $1.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 .


Recent Accounting Pronouncements


The information set forth under Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements under the caption "Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" is incorporated herein by reference.



Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

For financial market risks related to changes in interest rates, reference is made to Item 7A "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" contained in Part II of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 . Our exposure to market risk has not changed significantly since December 31, 2016 .

Foreign Currency Risk

International revenues and cost of revenues account for 41% and 52%, respectively, of consolidated amounts for the six months ended June 30, 2017 . The majority of international revenues and a smaller portion of expenses are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and we therefore have foreign currency risk related to these currencies, which are primarily the euro, the British pound, the Canadian dollar, the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen and the Brazilian real.

Accordingly, changes in exchange rates, and in particular a weakening of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar may negatively affect our revenue and contribution profit (loss) of our International streaming segment as expressed in U.S. dollars. In the six months ended June 30, 2017 , we believe our international revenues would have been approximately $34.4 million higher had foreign currency exchange rates remained consistent with those in same period of 2016 .

We have also experienced and will continue to experience fluctuations in our net income as a result of gains (losses) on the settlement and the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies that are not the functional currency. In the six months ended June 30, 2017 , we recognized a $49.4 million foreign exchange loss which resulted primarily from the remeasurement of our €1,300.0 million Senior Notes and was partially offset by the remeasurement of cash and content liability positions in currencies other than the functional currencies of our European and U.S. entities.

In addition, the effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents in the six months ended June 30, 2017 was $17.0 million.

We do not use foreign exchange contracts or derivatives to hedge any foreign currency exposures. The volatility of exchange rates depends on many factors that we cannot forecast with reliable accuracy. Our continued international expansion increases our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations and as a result such fluctuations could have a significant impact on our future results of operations.


Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q were effective in providing reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can


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provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2017 , that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.




PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

The information set forth under Note 6 in the notes to the consolidated financial statements under the caption "Legal Proceedings" is incorporated herein by reference.


Item 1A.

Risk Factors

There have been no material changes from the risk factors as previously disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 .


Item 6.

Exhibits

(a) Exhibits:


See Exhibit Index immediately following the signature page of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.




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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

NETFLIX, INC.

Dated:

July 19, 2017

By:

/s/ REED HASTINGS

Reed Hastings

Chief Executive Officer

(Principal executive officer)

Dated:

July 19, 2017

By:

/s/ DAVID WELLS

David Wells

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal financial and accounting officer)



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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number

Exhibit Description

Incorporated by Reference

Filed
Herewith

Form

File No.

Exhibit

Filing Date

4.8

Indenture, dated as of May 2, 2017, by and between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee.

001-35727

4.1

May 2, 2017

4.9

Form of Note (included in Exhibit 4.8)

001-35727

4.2

May 2, 2017

10.12

Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 26, 2017, between the Company and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, as representative of the Initial Purchasers listed on Schedule 1 thereto.

001-35727

10.1

April 24, 2017

10.13

Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of May 2, 2017, by and between the Company and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, as representative of the Initial Purchasers listed in Schedule 1 thereto.

001-35727

10.1

May 2, 2017

10.14

Executive Severance and Retention Incentive Plan, as amended and restated as of July 12, 2017


X

31.1

Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

X

31.2

Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

X

32.1*

Certifications of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

X

101

The following financial information from Netflix, Inc.'s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 filed with the SEC on July 19, 2017, formatted in XBRL includes: (i) Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 (iii) Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 and (v) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

X


*

These certifications are not deemed filed by the SEC and are not to be incorporated by reference in any filing we make under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, irrespective of any general incorporation language in any filings.



34