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Netflix Is Now Worth More Than Comcast as Stock Reaches Record

Netflix is the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 Index this year.

Netflix Is Now Worth More Than Comcast as Stock Reaches Record
The Netflix Inc. logo is displayed on a wall at the Netflix Japan office in Tokyo, Japan, (Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Netflix Inc. overtook cable giant Comcast Corp. in market value on Wednesday, highlighting the dramatic rise of video streaming at the expense of traditional television.

Netflix, the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 Index this year, set a fresh record with a gain of 3.4 percent on Wednesday, while Comcast fell 1.8 percent. That pushed Netflix’s market value to about $149 billion, surpassing Comcast at $147 billion.

Netflix Is Now Worth More Than Comcast as Stock Reaches Record

It’s the second time this month that Netflix has dethroned Comcast in valuation, but the lead may have more sticking power this time. Shares of the video-streaming company have risen more than 5 percent this week, which began with the announcement of a multiyear production deal with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Comcast and other cable providers have faced growing competition from streaming services like Netflix, which are attracting more customers by adding original programming. Comcast said last month that it lost 96,000 video subscribers in the first quarter, a bigger decline than analysts had expected.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeran Wittenstein in San Francisco at jwittenstei1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Catherine Larkin at clarkin4@bloomberg.net, Nick Turner

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.