Yahoo TV

STORY: Netflix will soon have a new season of South Korean hit drama ‘Squid Game’ to help lure viewers.

It’s expecting the show to be among big draws over the holiday period.

But the streaming giant seems to be winning the subscriber wars even before that.

On Thursday, the company reported adding 5.1 million paying customers over the third quarter.

That was far better than Wall Street estimates.

Its shares rose close to 5% in after-hours trade following the news, and are up by almost a half this year.

Advertising appears to be paying off.

Netflix says its ad-supported tier accounted for more than 50% of signups in countries where it was available.

Live events, including sport are another big bet.

Next month the company will stream a fight between YouTube star Jake Paul and boxer Mike Tyson.

It also has the rights to show two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

As the focus shifts to ads and events, the company will soon stop reporting subscriber sign-ups, and try to focus investor attention on other metrics such as revenue growth.

Meanwhile, prices continue to rise for existing customers.

Subscription charges went up in Japan and a few European markets earlier this month, with more hikes to come in other countries.

Boss Ted Sarandos has rejected the idea of adding Netflix to a discounted bundle with other streaming services like Disney+.

He says he’s focused on adding more value to the firm’s own offering.