Netflix ad tier hits 250 million users as expansion accelerates
The $8.99 ad-supported plan generated $1.5 billion in revenue last year, with new markets and ad formats on the horizon.
Netflix has announced that its ad-supported streaming tier has reached 250 million monthly viewers globally, marking a significant acceleration in the company’s advertising strategy. During its 2026 upfront presentation, the streaming service revealed that the user base has more than doubled from the 94 million reported in the previous year. This marks the second consecutive year the tier has seen its monthly viewership increase by such a margin.
The ad-supported Basic tier, currently priced at $8.99 per month, generated $1.5 billion in advertising revenue in 2025. Since its launch in 2022 at $6.99, the plan has seen a price increase of $2, reflecting the growing value of the advertising inventory. The company is now looking to monetise additional content formats, with plans to introduce advertisements into its vertical video feed and podcast lineup starting next year.
In a move to broaden its international reach, Netflix is expanding the ad-supported tier to 15 new countries. The new markets include Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand. This geographic expansion coincides with the testing of a new personalisation tool designed to adjust ads based on subscriber viewing behaviours.
Despite the commercial growth, the company faces regulatory headwinds. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has cited Netflix’s ad-supported plan in a lawsuit, alleging that the service misled subscribers regarding the data it collects for advertising purposes. The specific metrics used to substantiate these claims have not been detailed in the source material, but the legal challenge highlights the increasing scrutiny on data collection practices within the streaming sector.
The rapid scaling of the advertising business underscores Netflix’s pivot towards a hybrid monetisation model. With the user base more than doubling annually and revenue figures reaching the billions, the company is positioning its ad tier as a core pillar of its financial strategy, even as it navigates legal challenges and expands into new content verticals.
