Netflix finished 2024 with its biggest quarterly subscriber gain in history, thanks to the return of Squid Game, its first major live sporting events, and upcoming seasons of fan favourites.

On Tuesday, Netflix said that nearly 19 million subscribers were added during the holiday season, bringing its total global subscribers to a whopping over 300 million. The company’s previous best was 15 million in the first quarter of 2020 — numbers driven by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the shows Netflix credited for its historically successful quarter

According to a shareholder letter, Netflix has credited a mix of programming for its successful quarter, including the hit movie Carry-On and the second season of Squid Game, its most popular series ever.

Although the company said no one programme accounted for a majority of its additions, the boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson delivered a record number of sign-ups for one day, according to the research firm Antenna.

The match overshadowed Netflix’s first National Football League (NFL) games. The second of those games featured a halftime performance by Beyoncé.

“Our newly established live programming slate has already delivered some must-watch moments,” the company wrote in its letter.

“Although our live programming will likely be a small percentage of our total view hours and content expense, we think the eventized nature will result in outsized value to both our members and our business.”

Squid Game

Netflix ended last year with a strong lineup that included a second season of the global hit Squid Game. The dystopian Korean horror tale about a fictional, deadly game remains by far the most-watched Netflix TV series ever.

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Wednesday

Season 2 for Wednesday has wrapped production and is set to premiere in 2025. Netflix is yet to announce the release date.

Showrunners and executive producers Al Gough and Miles Millar told Netflix’s Tudum that this season, Wednesday’s journey is darker and more complex “as she navigates family, friends, new mysteries, and old adversaries, propelling her headlong into another year at Nevermore.”

Stranger Things

Stranger Things, renewed for its fifth and final season, will premiere this year. Tudum reported that its production has officially been wrapped.

“Everyone involved was determined to bring this story to a satisfying conclusion. They poured their hearts and souls into it, and we couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve accomplished. We can’t wait to share it with you all next year. Until then — over and out,” Ross Duffer wrote in a lengthy Instagram post.

Live programming sports events

The United States will see 52 weeks of WWE professional wrestling programming and the return of NFL games on Christmas Day.

Although Netflix has eschewed buying the rights to most major sporting events, arguing they are too expensive, it did license the rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and is seen as a potential partner for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Live programming is vital as Netflix builds out its advertising business. The company shows advertising during football and wrestling to all its members — not just those on the less-expensive, advertising-supported tier.

‘Growing ad business top priority’

Growing its ad business is a top priority for this year, said Netflix.

The streamer said that its ad-supported plans accounted for more than 55 per cent of signups in countries where they are offered, growing nearly 30 per cent overall from the prior quarter.