In just two years, Netflix’s ad-supported tier has signed up 70 million users, eclipsing total membership for Hulu, Peacock, and Apple TV+ | Fortune
Netflix may have taken its time to dive into ad-supported streaming, but it’s already making serious waves. Two years after launching its ad-supported tier in November 2022, Netflix boasts 70 million monthly active users on that plan. And here’s the kicker: over half of new subscribers choose the ad-supported route! This pivot wasn’t just a one-time boost to offset slowing subscriber growth—it’s been a game-changer driving Netflix’s numbers up and up.
Advertisers are flocking to this tier like bees to honey. Netflix scored a major advertising win this December with its two Christmas Day NFL games, selling out every bit of ad space in record time. Add in the anticipated arrival of mega-hits like Squid Game 2, and it’s no wonder new partners are lining up to join. But wait—there’s more on the horizon. Starting in 2025, Netflix will host WWE’s Raw, one of cable’s most-watched shows, right on its platform. With a following as strong as WWE’s, it’s safe to say advertisers are likely to follow the fans over to Netflix.
In a move that has the industry buzzing, Netflix has teamed up with Nielsen to provide live viewership ratings for the NFL games—something big in the streaming world, where traditional ratings haven’t always been easy to track. While they haven’t confirmed plans to extend this partnership beyond the Christmas games, it’s an intriguing development. Could this be Netflix testing the waters for more live content? Time will tell.
When it comes to the streaming numbers game, Netflix is miles ahead. For comparison, Apple TV Plus has 25 million members, Peacock is at 34 million, and Hulu claims 51.1 million. With a global base of over 282.7 million subscribers, Netflix is now eyeing a new metric: time spent watching, which it argues is a better reflection of customer satisfaction than plain subscriber counts. Starting next year, they’ll stop reporting subscriber numbers altogether……….[read more]
Rising Dough
With Netflix’s switch from tracking subscriber numbers to measuring viewer engagement time, what impact could this have on investors and advertisers—and, ultimately, on the quality and type of content Netflix chooses to produce?
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