When Netflix reports its second-quarter earnings on Thursday, all eyes will be on engagement and advertising trends, along with potential latest strategic moves by the streaming giant. A key investor debate these days is whether Netflix’s narrative right now is about engagement challenges amid intense competition for audiences’ attention (see: YouTube) or possible advertising upside from growing its business.
The result of engagement worries has been pressure on the company’s shares, which even hit a 52-week low in June. Recent chatter only seems to have underlined existing concerns. After all, the earnings disclosure comes after reports that the streamer has been looking at adding live TV channels and such other subscription streamers as Peacock to its service to help boost users’ engagement.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s second-quarter content slate had all sorts of returning favorites, including Beef season 2, Temptation Island season 2, Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 2, Four Seasons season 2, Love on the Spectrum season 4), and new series, such as Big Mistakes, the animated Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 and The Boroughs, as well as original films, such as Apex, Ladies First and Little Brother.
