Netflix Must Add Ads or Lose Millions of Users, Needham Says

  • Firm downgrades on risk users may move to lower-cost rivals
  • Shares drop and extend recent stretch of underperformance

A selection of Netflix original content.

Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg
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Netflix Inc. was downgraded to the equivalent of a sell at Needham, which reiterated its viewBloomberg Terminal that the video-streaming company was at risk of losing millions of U.S. customers in 2020 given rising competition, including from low-cost rivals.

The company “must add a second, lower priced, service to compete with Disney+, Apple+, Hulu, CBS All Access and Peacock,” analyst Laura Martin wrote to clients, who forecast 4 million U.S. subscriber losses next year if the company doesn’t make changes.