Netflix shifts strategy toward a traditional TV model

Netflix reported 97 billion hours of viewing in the first half of the year, a modest 2 % increase, and announced that its semi‑annual "What We Watched" report will be published only once a year. The company said it wants investors to focus on "how much profit each hour of attention generates" rather than total hours watched, noting that series such as "One Piece", "The Night Agent" and "Beef" saw viewership drops of 30 %, 50 % and 70 % respectively.

At the same time, Netflix is adding elements typical of traditional television: an ad‑supported subscription tier, live‑event broadcasts, weekly episode releases for some series, continuous thematic channels, and greater investment in sports and other live programming. These moves aim to make the streaming service behave more like an "always‑on" TV channel and align its metrics with revenue rather than sheer viewing time.