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Netflix subscriber numbers up in fourth quarter of 2011

Netflix said it had landed more than 600,000 new subscribers during a stronger than expected fourth quarter of 2011. Total domestic subscriptions are now 24.4 million, up from 23.79 million last quarter (and 19.5 million a year ago). That 24.4 million includes 21.67 million streaming subscriptions in the US and 11.17 million DVD-by-mail subscriptions - which is quite sharply down from 13.93 million last quarter.

What's more, the company also continued to emphasize its shift away from mailing out DVDs and toward offering more content online, including originals that will begin rolling out next month with "Lilyhammer." Looking ahead, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said he continues to see paid television networks like HBO and Showtime as the company's true rivals, not Hulu and Amazon, which have also bet heavily on video streaming.

"As we've often said, we see the biggest long term threat as TV Everywhere, and in particular, HBO GO, the leading implementation of TV Everywhere to date," Hastings and Netflix CFO David Wells wrote in a letter of shareholders. "HBO has some great content, particularly their original series, but today for most people it is locked behind a linear interface, or at best, behind a DVR interface and in all cases tethered to a linear subscription plan. As HBO GO grows and becomes the primary way that consumers experience HBO, it will become a much more effective competitor for viewing time."

Read the full Reuters story -here-

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