Netflix says CEO's Facebook post triggered SEC notice
Netflix Inc said on Thursday securities regulators warned they may bring civil action against the company and its chief executive for violating public disclosure rules with a Facebook post, in a case that raises questions about how public companies communicate on social media.
The high-profile Silicon Valley CEO, Reed Hastings, dismissed the contention and said he did not believe the Facebook post was "material" information.
Hastings wrote in the post on the company's public Facebook page on July 3: "Netflix monthly viewing exceeded 1 billion hours for the first time ever in June."
The post was accessible to the more than 244,000 subscribers to the page.
Netflix received what is known as a Wells Notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which means the SEC staff will recommend the full commission pursue either a cease-and-desist action and/or a civil injunction against Netflix and Hastings over the alleged violation.
Netflix may have run afoul of the SEC's Regulation FD, adopted in 2000, which requires public companies to make full and fair public disclosure of material non-public information.
"We think posting to over 200,000 people is very public, especially because many of my subscribers are reporters and bloggers," Hastings said on Thursday in a letter. He also said that he did not believe the Facebook posting was "material" information.
The SEC believes that figure is material information that should have been disclosed in a press release or regulatory filing, according to Hastings' letter.
"We remain optimistic this can be cleared up
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