Netflix can’t keep losing money forever, and the pressure will increase as rivals such as Disney take back content and enter what is set to be a protracted, expensive streaming war. That means Netflix has to make more of its own content – and Sarandos’s message is clear: don’t waste money on stuff that doesn’t deliver subscribers, particularly as services such as Disney+ are set to undercut Netflix on price, which Netflix has been increasing. While Netflix’s debt has increased year-on-year, Disney has deep pockets funded by healthy margins, $12.6bn net income in 2018, with almost $10bn in free cashflow. 

Meanwhile, Netflix hired a new finance chief, Spencer Neumann at the end of 2018, tasked with reducing cash burn and finding ways to optimise revenues. While The Information’s article details Netflix’s efficiency metrics as giving more weight to shows that attract subscribers and retain those more likely to cancel their subscription, it may be that the company has to rethink how to make more money from those that watch its shows the most, i.e. how to better monetise superfans other than price hikes.