According to Netflix's latest season Upfront ad presentation...The data revealedIts ad-supported plan (Basic with Ads) has reached an astonishing 2.5 million monthly active users. This is a significant increase compared to 2024.7000 millionThe number of people in the country is expected to reach 9400 million by 2025, showing a clear explosive and leapfrog growth.
To capitalize on this success, Netflix announced that starting in 2027, it will further expand this program to 15 countries, including Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, to continue exploring potential new revenue streams in advertising.
Key data: A "great leap" and market expansion over three years
Since the end of 2022First test of the advertising planSince then, Netflix's user demographics have undergone dramatic changes:
• User numbers doubled:從2025年的9400萬人到現在的2.5億人規模，廣告方案在短短一年內增加超過1.5億名用戶。這也反映出在Netflix今年再次調漲全球訂閱資費 (平均漲幅達1美元)後，更多用戶選擇轉向價格較低的廣告層級。
• The global footprint expands again:Starting next year, the advertising program will be available in European markets including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Poland, as well as Southeast Asian markets including Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and South American markets including Colombia and Peru.
AI-powered ad targeting: pursuing ultimate personalization and frequency control.
Netflix will naturally incorporate deep AI into its 2026 advertising strategy, and has already tested several new AI advertising applications:
• Dynamic ad load:The system will use AI to dynamically adjust the frequency and number of advertisements based on the viewing behavior of different members.
• Precise and personalized delivery:Based on users' viewing preferences, the system calculates in real time which ad content is most likely to generate interest.
• Controversy and Challenges:Despite Netflix's insistence that AI is intended to improve user experience, it is currently facing a lawsuit from the Texas government alleging that it illegally sold user data to ad tech companies. Netflix has responded that the allegations are based on "distorted and incorrect" information.
Advertising strategies have become a "defensive weapon" for Netflix in the face of inflation and competition.
While competitors like Disney+, HBO Max, and Paramount+ are also raising prices, Netflix, with its massive user base, has proven its unshakeable position as a "digital mass media." For advertisers, 2.5 million monthly active users is an incredibly attractive number, meaning they can leverage Netflix's database to precisely target young audiences who have already "cord-cut" their cable TV services, particularly through phenomenal hits like "The Queen" or "The Squid Game."
The deeper significance lies in the fact that this gives Netflix a more robust revenue buffer when facing rising production costs. Even if the fee for the ad-free version continues to increase in the future, as long as the advertising plan remains accessible enough, users are less likely to churn.
As we further penetrate densely populated markets such as Indonesia and Thailand in 2027, we are witnessing the "televisionization" cycle of the streaming media industry: from paying for content to returning to a business loop where advertising supports content, only this time, AI makes advertising smarter (and harder to avoid) than before.
