Netflix ad tier hits 250 million

Netflix said on May 13 that its ad-supported plan now reaches more than 250 million monthly active viewers globally, a figure the company disclosed at its 2026 upfront presentation. The new total was up from 190 million in November, according to Netflix’s advertising update. Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising, told marketers the company was moving from proving durability in ads to competing at greater scale. The presentation paired the audience update with new programmatic, measurement and AI tools for buyers. ### Why does Netflix keep talking about “monthly active viewers” instead of subscribers? Netflix defined a monthly active viewer as a person who watched at least one minute of ad-supported content in a month, multiplied by the estimated average number of people in a household. The company’s tally includes people watching live titles such as WWE, according to TheWrap’s account of the presentation. That differs from the company’s earlier monthly active users metric, which was based on profiles watching ads. (about.netflix.com) The change matters to advertisers because ad buyers purchase audience reach, not just paid accounts. Netflix also said more than 80% of members on the ad plan are actively watching every week, a figure it used to argue that the audience is engaged as well as large. ### What is Netflix actually building for advertisers? Netflix said on March 4 that its in-house Netflix Ads Suite was adding more targeting, frequency management and measurement tools. (thewrap.com) In the United States, advertisers buying through Amazon DSP can use Amazon Audiences for programmatic campaigns on Netflix, and Yahoo DSP buyers can activate Yahoo audience segments on Netflix deals. The company also introduced its own Conversion API, which it said is designed to show outcomes and use real-time insights to optimize campaigns. (about.netflix.com) Tinuiti, an independent U.S. marketing agency, participated in early testing of the Conversion API, and Netflix said those campaigns outperformed benchmarks by more than 75% across financial services, ed tech and retail clients. Netflix did not provide the underlying benchmark methodology in the company post. ### Where does AI fit into the ad pitch? (about.netflix.com) Netflix said AI tools are now being used to develop and optimize media plans based on advertisers’ objectives. The company also said it is testing AI agents that can manage, optimize and purchase ads on Netflix. The company said it is also using AI to adapt advertiser assets for formats such as vertical video ads and pause ads. (about.netflix.com) Netflix said it had recently tested those capabilities with DoorDash, Target and TurboTax, and TheWrap reported the company is also testing personalized ad loads and dynamic frequency caps based on viewing behavior. ### How big is the ad business becoming? (about.netflix.com) Netflix said during the upfront that the ad-supported tier is no longer confined to the 12 markets where it first launched. The company plans to expand the ads plan to 15 additional countries in 2027, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand. It also said new ad inventory in podcasts and vertical video will be available globally in 2027. (about.netflix.com) TheWrap reported that the ad-supported tier accounted for more than 60% of Netflix signups in the 12 countries where it is currently available during the first quarter. The outlet also reported Netflix was working with more than 4,000 advertisers at the end of 2025, up 70% from a year earlier, and was on track to double ad revenue to $3 billion in 2026. (about.netflix.com) ### What should marketers watch next? Netflix said the next concrete milestones are geographic expansion and new inventory. The ads plan is scheduled to enter 15 more countries in 2027, while podcast and vertical-video ad placements are also slated for global availability that year. The company said its AI capability that combines advertiser creative with Netflix shows and films will reach every ad-supported region by the end of 2026. (thewrap.com) (about.netflix.com)