Delhi Delhi. Netflix gained 5.1 million streaming subscribers in the third quarter, 1 million more than Wall Street estimates, and said it expected further subscriber growth around the holidays when Korean drama “Squid Game” returns. Netflix shares rose 4.8% in after-hours trading Thursday following the earnings report. Shares have risen about 47% so far this year.

As subscriber additions slow, Netflix is ​​trying to shift investors' attention away from sign-ups to metrics including revenue growth and profit margins. It will stop reporting subscriber data starting next year, and is boasting an increase in its ad-supported plans. The streaming giant said Thursday that its ad-supported service will expand in the third quarter in the countries where it was available. Signed up by more than 50%.

Wall Street expected Netflix to bring in 4 million subscribers from July to September, according to analysts' estimates compiled by LSEG. New programs during the period included the murder mystery “The Perfect Couple” and the romantic comedy “Nobody Wants This.” Netflix earned $5.40 per share in the quarter, surpassing the consensus forecast of $5.12. Operating margin reached 30% in the quarter, compared with 22% a year earlier. Revenue rose to $9.825 billion, slightly ahead of the $9.769 billion consensus forecast.

“On the surface, Netflix is ​​moving in all the right directions,” said Forrester analyst Mike Proulx. “Financially, revenues and operating margins continue to grow and expenses are coming down.” But while subscriber addition numbers exceeded forecasts, they were down from the 8.76 million that Netflix added in the year-ago quarter. “The sharp decline in net new customers is worrisome. While there is room for net customer growth internationally, things are winding down in the U.S.,” Proulx said.

Netflix estimated its subscriber growth in the last three months of the year – which traditionally peaks around the holidays – will be higher than the September quarter, though it did not provide a number. The second season of the Korean drama “Squid Game” is scheduled to be released in late December. “We feel very good about the business,” co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a post-earnings video. “We had a plan to get the business back up and running, and we executed that plan.”