Netflix continues upward growth
In the absence of any strong competition that was expected from Blockbuster and Walmart by investors, NetFlix showed excellent growth according to this Wall Street Journal story (subscription required) and is projecting up to 1 million subscribers in the first quarter.
NetFlix had about 857,000 subscribers at the end of the fourth quarter, up 88% from 456,000 a year earlier, and up 15% from the third quarter's 742,000 subscribers.
...Average monthly subscriber churn was 6.3%, down from 7.2% in the third quarter, and slightly up from 6.2% in the fourth quarter of 2001. The figure is closely watched by investors because a higher churn rate -- the percentage of existing and trial customers who cancel their service -- can lead to higher marketing costs and slower growth.