Netflix says ad tier reaches 250 million

Netflix told advertisers on May 13 that its ad-supported plan now reaches more than 250 million monthly active viewers globally, a new benchmark in the company’s effort to build a larger advertising business. (about.netflix.com) The figure is up from 190 million monthly active viewers that Netflix disclosed in November 2025 and from 94 million that it cited at its 2025 upfront presentation. The company defines the metric as viewers who watched at least one minute of ads in a month, adjusted by Netflix’s estimate of average household size. (about.netflix.com) Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising, framed this year’s pitch to marketers as a step beyond proving the business could work. “If the last couple of years were about proving we’re a durable player, this year is about establishing ourselves as a formidable one,” she said in materials released with the presentation. (about.netflix.com) Netflix paired the audience update with a broader message about scale and engagement. The company said more than 80% of members on the ads plan watch every week, and it pointed advertisers to titles including “Wednesday,” “The Night Agent,” “Happy Gilmore 2” and “Stranger Things” as part of the draw for brands. (about.netflix.com) The company also used the upfront to describe where it wants to add inventory. Netflix said video podcasts arrived earlier in 2026, vertical video is now available on mobile, and new ad inventory across podcasts and vertical video will be available globally in 2027. It also said it is expanding brand partnership opportunities on Tudum, its fan site, which it said gets more than 24 million views a month. (about.netflix.com) Artificial intelligence was another part of the sales pitch. Netflix said it now offers AI-driven tools to develop and optimize media plans and is testing AI agents to manage, optimize and purchase ads on the service. The company also said it is using AI to adapt advertiser assets for formats including vertical video ads and pause ads, and cited tests with DoorDash, Target and TurboTax. (about.netflix.com) The presentation was also a programming showcase, which is standard for upfront week as media companies try to persuade advertisers to commit budgets against future releases. Netflix’s materials highlighted returning and upcoming titles, while entertainment trade outlets reported that the company also unveiled renewals, first looks and new projects during the event. (about.netflix.com) A day earlier, on May 12, Netflix published “The Netflix Effect,” a new corporate site and related materials that said the company had invested more than $135 billion in films and series since 2015 and had contributed more than $325 billion to the global economy over that period. Those figures were presented as part of a broader argument about Netflix’s role in production spending and employment as it courts advertisers, policymakers and creative partners. (usatoday.com) The next concrete step in the ad rollout is in 2027. Netflix said the ads plan will expand to 15 additional countries — including the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand and the Philippines — and that new ad inventory in podcasts and vertical video will launch globally the same year. (about.netflix.com)