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Netflix has unveiled a major update to how it measures ad performance, announcing that its ad supported content now reaches 190 million monthly active viewers (MAVs) globally. The shift marks a new era in how streaming platforms quantify audience engagement and sell ad space.
A Shift From “Accounts” to “Actual Viewers”
Under the new system, Netflix will measure individual viewers who watch at least one minute of ad supported content each month, adjusted for average household size. The change moves away from counting mere accounts, a method critics said understated true reach, and aligns Netflix more closely with TV style audience measurement.
According to Netflix, the MAV model better reflects reality in multi viewer households and gives advertisers a more accurate sense of scale. The company hopes the metric will become a new standard across streaming platforms.
Ads Reach Record Viewership
Netflix says its ad tier now delivers ads to 190 million viewers per month, covering regions including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. Internal figures show a 65 percent year on year rise in ad tier viewers in the United Kingdom alone.
Executives describe Q3 2025 as the company’s strongest advertising quarter yet, with ad revenue expected to more than double compared to last year. While ads still account for a smaller share of overall income, the pace of growth signals Netflix’s serious ambitions in the ad supported streaming market.
Dynamic Ads and Real Time Personalization
Netflix is also rolling out dynamic ad insertion (DAI) for live content, a system that tailors commercials to each viewer in real time. The technology enables brands to personalize campaigns without interrupting the viewing experience, a move that could give Netflix a competitive edge over legacy TV networks and rival streamers like Disney Plus and Prime Video.
Analysts at Adweek note that DAI, combined with the new viewer metric, positions Netflix as a “hybrid between TV and digital,” offering both mass reach and precision targeting.
Streaming Industry New Rules
The metric overhaul and ad tech upgrades underscore Netflix’s transformation from a pure entertainment company to a full scale media platform. As subscription growth stabilizes, advertising is becoming a crucial pillar of revenue diversification.
According to the latest announcement, Netflix has partnered with iSpot.tv and Kantar in the United States, Alter Agents and Amplified Intelligence in Mexico and Brazil, Médiamétrie in France, and Macromill Group in Japan.
These collaborations are designed to enhance Netflix’s ability to measure ad performance consistently across regions, ensuring advertisers have standardized, third-party verified insights into campaign reach, engagement, and effectiveness.
Competitors such as Disney, Amazon, and Warner Bros Discovery are likely to face pressure to introduce comparable transparency in ad reporting or risk losing ground to Netflix’s expanding ad ecosystem.
