Netflix has surpassed 250 million monthly active users on its ad-supported tier, a significant increase revealed during the company’s Upfront presentation. The ad-supported plan, which had 70 million users in 2024 and 94 million in 2025, reflects growing popularity amid rising streaming costs.
Next year, Netflix will expand the ad-supported plan to 15 additional countries, including Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand. The Basic with Ads tier was first introduced in 2022.
As streaming services continue to increase subscription fees, Netflix raised all monthly costs by a dollar earlier this year. The company is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in advertising, having implemented AI in its ad operations last year.
One initiative under consideration includes personalized ad loads and frequency caps that adapt based on user viewing behavior. In addition to these developments, Netflix is facing a lawsuit from Texas, which alleges illegal sales of user data to ad tech companies. Netflix described the lawsuit as “based on inaccurate and distorted information.”
