Netflix yesterday said its advertising-supported tier now reaches more than 250 million monthly active viewers globally and announced an expansion of its ads plan to 15 additional countries from 2027, while unveiling a broad slate of new series, films and live events at its fourth Upfront presentation themed ‘Get Closer’.

The streamer also highlighted new advertising technology tools, expanded sports programming and a lineup of returning hits including ‘Wednesday’, ‘The Night Agent’, ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ and ‘Stranger Things’. 

Pointing out that at its fourth Upfront, Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising, set the ball rolling, a statement from the streamer yesterday quoted the executive as saying that if the last couple of years were about “proving we’re a durable player, this year is about establishing ourselves as a formidable one.”

Netflix said more than 80 percent of members on its ads-supported plan actively watch every week, driven by what it called its “can’t-miss entertainment.” The company added that in 2025 it had “more Nielsen Top 10 originals than any other streamer — almost five times our nearest competitor.” 

The ads plan, which is a subscription tier where subscribers pay less but have to watch ads, would expand in 2027 to Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand. 

Interestingly, India, one of the biggest and major markets for Netflix, is yet to see an ad-supported viewing tier, though there are several categories of subscriptions available to attract small-town consumers

Reinhard said Netflix was now ready “to compete with anyone,” adding: “We’ve got cutting-edge technology, we’ve got great entertainment across shows, movies, podcasts, and live events, and we’ve got the most engaged and attentive audience.” 

Netflix also detailed new advertising and artificial intelligence initiatives, saying ad inventory across podcasts and vertical video would become available globally in 2027. The company said it was testing AI agents to manage and optimize advertising purchases and expanding AI-driven advertising formats across ad-supported regions by the end of the year.

It also said it was testing “new personalized ad loads and frequency caps” that dynamically adjust advertisements based on viewers’ behaviour. 

The streamer said its Netflix Ads Suite continued to expand planning and measurement tools for advertisers. Nicolle Pangis, Vice President of Advertising at Netflix, said: “Netflix is the only place that can leverage the best tech with the best shows and movies in the world.” 

Netflix said 44 percent of members who see an ad on the platform “never saw it on broadcast TV or other streamers,” while campaigns on the service drive “almost 2x the TV norm on long-term brand building” and are 23 percent above benchmarks on purchase intent compared with competitors. It also cited a recent Dove and ‘Bridgerton’ campaign that resulted in “almost 60 percent increase in new shoppers for products.” 

Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria (in the picture) unveiled several new programming announcements, including series ‘The Retrievals’, ‘Barbaric’, ‘Myron Bolitar’, ‘Calabasas’ and an untitled Nick Cannon docuseries, along with films ‘Grown Ups 3’ and ‘A Matter of Time’. 

Netflix also announced the addition of ‘The Westminster Dog Show’ and expanded NFL coverage in 2026, including games from Australia, Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Day, as well as NFL Honors during Super Bowl week in 2027. 

Renewals included ‘Love is Blind’, ‘Big Mistakes’, ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’, ‘Quarterback’ and ‘Running Point’. Bajaria said: “Everyone has something. No one else has everything — not at the scale and quality that we do.” 

Netflix further outlined an extensive upcoming slate featuring returning titles such as ‘3 Body Problem Season 2’, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2’, ‘Bridgerton Season 5’, ‘Emily in Paris Season 6’, ‘Lupin Part 4’, ‘Outer Banks Season 5’and ‘Nobody Wants This Season 3’. New drama projects include ‘East of Eden’, ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and ‘Little House on the Prairie’, while film releases include ‘Enola Holmes 3’, ‘Extraction 3’, ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ and ‘Office Romance’. 

The company also announced a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ world concert tour for 2027. (Photo of Bela Bajaria courtesy Netflix website)