Netflix said on Wednesday that ads on its platform now reach 190 million monthly active viewers (MAVs) worldwide, unveiling a new metric that measures audiences by individuals instead of households. The change is part of the company’s effort to give advertisers a clearer picture of reach and engagement as it scales up its ad-supported business.
Under the new system, a MAV represents any user who has watched at least one minute of ad-supported content, multiplied by Netflix’s internal estimate of viewers per household. The company said the measure reflects a more accurate view of audience size as it expands live programming and ad targeting.
Co-CEO Greg Peters said Netflix had its strongest ad sales quarter ever in Q3 and expects ad revenue to more than double this year. “Advertising remains small compared to subscriptions, but we’ve built the foundation for a major growth engine,” Peters said.
Netflix also rolled out dynamic ad insertion (DAI), which customizes ads in real time during live events. The feature will be available in six countries — including the U.S., UK, and Brazil — during the NFL Christmas Gameday and will expand to more titles in 2026.
The company’s proprietary Netflix Ads Suite platform, launched earlier this year, is now active across all 12 countries with ad-supported tiers.
