Despite years of denying that it would ever happen, Netflix has fully embraced advertising, and its customers are following. At its UpFronts presentation on Wednesday, representatives from the streamer shared that Netflix now has more than 250 million monthly active users on its Standard With Ads plan, a big jump from the end of 2025, and another sign of the robust health of the ad plan it launched in 2022.

Netflix last announced its ad plan’s monthly active user (MAU) base in November, when it revealed it had 190 million users. The streamer has now climbed to 250 million, and will launch its ad plan in 15 additional countries to expand its footprint even further.

Amy Reinhard, who serves as president of advertising at Netflix, unveiled at the streamer’s upfront that 60% of new Netflix customers now choose the ad plan. These viewers are also highly engaged, as more than 80% of ad-supported viewers sign into Netflix weekly.

Netflix has 325 million subscribers total, but its new reveal doesn’t necessarily mean that 250 million of those subscribers are on the ad plan. Netflix calculates monthly active users as not only subscribers, but everyone in their household who watches more than one minute of ads on the streamer each month.

The number is still quite impressive for Netflix, which has been working hard to boost the user base of its ad tier. Viewers have become widely tolerant of ads with streaming services, and streamers love ad tiers because they collect two revenue streams from subscribers instead of just one.

Not everyone is happy with Netflix’s ad plan, however. The streamer now faces a lawsuit brought by the state of Texas, which alleges that Netflix’s data collection practices related to its ad plan violate state law. Despite that litigation, however, Netflix has to be pleased with the upward trajectory of its Standard with Ads subscription.

Sign Up

netflix.com

Netflix

Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”

…

The platform constantly updates its catalog, introducing fresh content alongside timeless classics and international hits. Netflix’s commitment to storytelling has also earned critical acclaim, with award-winning exclusives such as “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Mank,” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” In 2023, their animated film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, further solidifying Netflix’s reputation for high-quality content.

Recently, Netflix has expanded beyond standard movies and TV titles with the addition of video podcasts, and is also exploring a digital store that would offer third-party streamers within the app.

Netflix offers three plans – stream on 2 devices in HD with the “Standard with Ads” ($8.99) plan, on 2 devices in HD with the “Standard” ($19.99) plan, and 4 devices in up to 4K on the “Premium” ($26.99) plan.

Sign Up

$8.99+ / month

netflix.com