Ackman Bets $1 Billion on Netflix Redemption After $400 Million 2022 Loss
Ackman returned to Netflix with a $1 billion position after losing $400 million in 2022, betting the ad tier's $3 billion revenue target validates the comeback.
Netflix collected a $2.80 billion termination fee walking away from WBD while Disney still struggles to build streaming margins that rival Netflix's scale.
Viewing hours grew just 2% in the first half of 2026 and content costs are rising 10%, keeping Wells Fargo's Underweight rating firmly intact.
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Bill Ackman is betting on Netflix ( NASDAQ:NFLX ) again. Pershing Square's second-quarter filing revealed a Netflix position worth roughly $1 billion, about 5% of the portfolio, alongside new stakes in payment networks and a full exit from its Google-parent holding.
He is buying into weakness again. Netflix closed at $71.79 on September 18, down 40.56% over the past year and 23.43% year to date.
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Walt Disney ( NYSE:DIS ) is still stitching Disney+, Hulu and ESPN into a bundle capable of Netflix-caliber margins, and Warner Bros. Discovery ( NASDAQ:WBD ) is the counterfactual: Netflix walked away from acquiring it and collected a $2.80 billion termination fee instead.
Co-CEO Greg Peters called the gap between ad-tier and standard-plan revenue per member "near-term under-realized revenue growth," signaling pricing power ahead.
Growth is decelerating into guidance. CFO Spence Neumann framed 2026 as "13% to 14% top line growth for the full year" and "about $6 billion of incremental revenue year over year".
Viewing hours grew only 2% in the first half of 2026, and Wells Fargo's Steven Cahall has an Underweight rating, citing softer engagement.
Valuation is no longer a bargain either, with a trailing P/E of 23x against an analyst target of $93.37.
The bull case is that Ackman is buying a scaled monopoly at a discount. Netflix returned $4.7 billion in Q2 buybacks with $27.1 billion remaining, and management sees Netflix capturing only 7% of the addressable revenue market.
The bear case is that engagement is stalling while content spend rises approximately 10% in 2026, and the failed Warner Bros. Discovery deal signals management is hunting for growth it cannot manufacture organically.
The deciding variable is the ad tier. If the $3 billion target lands and average revenue per member converges toward the standard plan, Ackman's bet works. If not, the 2022 loss repeats.
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