(Bloomberg) -- Netflix Inc. jumped the most in nine months after its third-quarter results allayed concerns about looming competition from Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc.

The company added 6.77 million subscribers in the third quarter, with stronger-than-expected growth overseas, it said Wednesday after markets closed. Earnings also topped Wall Street estimates, letting investors overlook a tepid forecast for the final quarter of the year.

Investors had been bracing for a weak showing after Netflix delivered a disappointing quarter three months ago. The stock had been flagging for weeks. The actual results -- though far from perfect -- were a relief, sending the shares up as much as 7.9% in New York trading Thursday.

“It was a really strong quarter -- not just around subscribers, the overall business performance,” Chief Financial Officer Spencer Neumann said in a taped interview with Guggenheim Securities analyst Michael Morris.

International markets account for almost all of Netflix’s growth -- and most of its total customers. The world’s largest paid online TV network signed up 6.26 million new users outside the U.S., beating forecasts. Netflix expects to sign 7 million more international customers during the current three months, ending the year with its strongest overseas growth to date.

The company benefited from new seasons of a couple of its most popular shows. The teen science-fiction show “Stranger Things” was viewed by 64 million households in its first four weeks, making it the most-watched season of original programming on Netflix. A new season of “La Casa de Papel,” a Spanish heist series, was viewed by 44 million households. It was Netflix’s most-watched show in non-English-speaking countries.

Netflix is looking to stoke demand outside the U.S. by investing more in international original series. The company has already released 100 seasons of local language scripted series from 17 countries, and plans to release more than 130 next year alone.

Overseas markets will be even more important in the face of new competition from Disney, Apple, Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc. All four of those companies will introduce new streaming services in the next few months, starting in the U.S. While the final three months of the year are typically among the company’s strongest, Netflix expects to add a total of 7.6 million more customers in the fourth quarter -- fewer than it did a year ago.

‘Noisy’ Launch

The new services from Disney and Apple both launch next month. The Disney+ platform is geared toward kids and families, with hundreds of movies and shows, including Star Wars, Avengers and Pixar fare. Apple’s product is more adult-oriented and has less content.