# Netflix Seeks Faster Growth in Viewing Hours Amid Investor Concern By John Kim Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/36490 Published: 2026-10-21T08:25:42.000Z Updated: 2026-10-21T08:25:42.000Z Section: Business > Members watched more than 97 billion hours worldwide in the first half of 2026, up 2% from a year earlier. Netflix wants viewing hours to grow faster as investors question the pace of growth, making audience engagement a key test of its plans to earn more from subscriptions and advertising. “We know there’s some investor concern about our view hours growth,” Netflix said. The company listed better monetization among its three priorities, alongside adding entertainment value and using technology to improve its service. Members watched more than 97 billion hours worldwide from January through June, up 2% from the same period in 2025. That figure measures total viewing across the service. It does not show whether the average member watched more or less. Netflix views members’ response to its 2026 price increases as a sign that engagement remains healthy. Even so, it wants faster growth in viewing hours. Third-quarter revenue rose 11.8% from a year earlier to $12.874 billion. Operating margin increased to 34.6% from 28.2%. The company also [cut its 2026 advertising revenue forecast]() to about $2.7 billion from about $3 billion as some advertising capabilities rolled out more slowly than planned. Netflix plans to introduce its ad-supported tier in 15 more countries in 2027. ## Links in this article - [cut its 2026 advertising revenue forecast](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/35991)