We were going to write a long, detailed piece about how Netflix has transformed the Wall Street earnings call over the past several years.
CEO Reed Hastings and his executive team have advanced Netflix’s quarterly conference from the typical formulaic jargon and half-answers to irrelevant questions from analysts into an interesting, thoughtful conversation, including smart questions and actual answers—all of it live-streamed on YouTube.
But instead, we’ll just point to the above image from today’s presentation.
Hastings attracted a few raised eyebrows early in the call for his wardrobe choice of a bright, teal sweater.
But it was a dramatic zoom-out near the end that solved the mystery.
“The most important thing about this call is to let you know that Friday, BoJack Horseman season two launches on Friday,” Hastings said, referring to Netflix’s adult-oriented animated series. “So we hope everyone will have a great binge weekend on one of the most incredible shows.”
Hastings earned this plug for the show: Netflix reported better-than-expected subscriber growth, finishing June with more than 65 million subscribers (pdf). The company repeatedly credited its original series for driving subscriber growth.
Netflix’s stock jumped in after-hours trading: