LOS ANGELES, Oct 18 Reuters Netflix increased subscription prices for some streaming plans in the United States, Britain and France on Wednesday as it shattered expectations for new customers, sending its shares surging 13.

Almost 9 million subscribers joined Netflix around the globe in the third quarter, surpassing Wall Street analysts39; forecast for 6 million, according to LSEG. Netflix said it expected a similar number of additions in the current quarter.

The strong performance showed Netflix was thriving despite Hollywood labor tensions that shut down a large swath of U.S. production. Netflix makes many of its shows and movies overseas, which accounted for the bulk of its new signups.

Netflix pointed to the global success of One Piece, a liveaction adaptation of the venerable Japanese manga series and an example of its hefty investment in stories with local resonance that travel the world. The streaming giant also attracted new audiences to longrunning television shows, such as the legal drama Suits, which it licensed from Comcast, and HBO39;s World War Two series Band of Brothers.

These are the times I39;m glad we have such a rich and deep and broad programming selection, Netflix coCEO Ted Sarandos said after the release of the quarterly results. The same was true during COVID, when we were able to manage the slate through a prolonged and pretty unpredictable production interruption.

Hollywood39;s film and television writers ratified a new contract this…