First-quarter earnings will be $165 million, or 37 cents a share, a big first installment on founder and Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings's vow to deliver material profit in 2017. The company, the world's largest paid video service, bet its future on globally replicating its success in the U.S., where it has almost 50 million customers, sacrificing near-term profit while spending heavily on programming and marketing to build a global TV audience.