Netflix’s ad-supported tier has reached 70 million global monthly active users, two years after its launch. The company reported that over 50% of new sign-ups in eligible countries are choosing ad-supported plans.

Amy Reinhard, president of advertising at Netflix, said in a statement, “Netflix continues to see steady progress across all countries’ member bases. Now, over 50% of new Netflix sign-ups are for the ads plan in ad-supported countries.”

The streaming platform introduced the ad-supported option in November 2022 in response to slowing subscriber growth. Last month, Netflix reported 5.1 million new subscribers in the third quarter, bringing its total to 282.7 million memberships across all pricing tiers.

As mentioned in media reports, Reinhard confirmed that Netflix has sold out all available commercial inventory for its upcoming Christmas Day NFL broadcasts, marking the first time the streamer will air live games from a major sports league. Advertisers for the games include FanDuel and Verizon. FanDuel will be the exclusive sportsbook betting partner during a pre-game program, featuring a sponsored segment with talent offering analysis and predictions tied to FanDuel’s odds. Verizon will sponsor a segment before kickoff.

Starting next year, Netflix plans to stop reporting subscriber numbers to investors, shifting its focus to revenue and other financial metrics as key performance indicators.

In May, Netflix announced it would launch its own advertising platform, ending its partnership with Microsoft for that technology. The platform has already launched in Canada, with plans for a U.S. launch by the end of the second quarter next year. Netflix aims to have the platform available globally by the end of 2025.

Author: Sonali Kamble