United States: Netflix, the US streaming giant, revealed that it had more than 230 million users worldwide at the end of last year, beating analysts’ expectations as successful shows like “Wednesday” and “Harry & Meghan” attracted new viewers.

In a letter announcing bumper fourth-quarter earnings, the business claimed that “2022 was a tough year, with a bumpy start but a brighter finish.” In addition, Netflix disclosed that co-founder Mr. Reed Hastings was stepping down from his position as CEO after 25 years in charge, during which time the business grew from a DVD rental service to a juggernaut in the entertainment industry.

Mr. Ted Sarandos, who has been the face of Netflix in Hollywood and was already named co-CEO, and Mr. Greg Peters, the company’s chief operating officer, was given control of Netflix by Mr. Hastings. Netflix became a publicly traded company in early 2002 at an opening price of $15 a share. After the release of the earnings results, shares of the streaming television service increased by about 7 percent to $337.31.

The announcement of the change of guard came with Netflix reporting increased subscribers that far exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts. The streaming giant claimed to have attracted 7.7 million new subscribers in just three months, raising the total number of Netflix subscribers worldwide to 230 million.

“Netflix praised a successful slate of new content that included horror-themed comedy “Wednesday,” saying the “Addams Family” spinoff was the company’s third most popular series ever. Royal tell-all documentary “Harry & Meghan” also scored, Netflix said, as well as “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” starring Daniel Craig,” as per the report.

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