Ad subscription-tier Netflix customers can expect to see AI adverts on the platform in 2026, the company has announced.
Resistance is futile: the AI revolution is here whether we like it or not. Netflix has announced that it’s bringing AI-generated advertising to its platform, with the roll-out due to begin in 2026.
The streaming giant made the announcement at an event called Upfront – a presentation aimed specifically at its advertisers. According to Netflix’s ad president Amy Reinhard, the company’s working on new ‘modular’ ad formats that will use “generative AI to instantly marry advertisers’ ads with the worlds of our shows.”
Earlier in May, Netflix announced its new-look user interface, which it says will offer a “giant leap forward” for its customers. The UI will change in response to a viewer’s browsing history, while its design will allow for vertical clips akin to TikTok and the like.
Netflix also revealed that it has partnered with OpenAI to incorporate generative AI into the platform, allowing users to search for things to watch using natural language.
Behind the scenes, the company has also been working away on Netflix Ads Suite – a new in-house advertising platform that is already being rolled out across various parts of the globe. According to Netflix, the Suite will allow the streamer’s clients to target potential customers more directly; “You can now target more than 100 interests in over 17 categories – including life stages,” actor Lily Collins explained during the presentation.
The idea, seemingly, is to use all these technologies to further integrate ads into Netflix’s most popular shows. As part of the presentation, the company brought up Wednesday season two, which will be joined by adverts for Wendy’s, Cheetos and Booking.com when it arrives later this year.
In the future, adverts will be even more present than ever for the roughly 94 million customers subscribed to Netflix’s ad-supported plan. As well as appearing before and during movies and TV shows, they’ll also start playing whenever you pause something to, say, make a cup of tea or go to the loo.
According to ArsTechnica, Netflix began testing pause ads last July, and Netflix plans to make this a part of the regular user experience in 2026. Here’s a quote from Netflix’s own breakdown of the Upfront event, recently published on its website:
“Reinhard unveiled the first capability with interactive midroll and pause formats that build custom advertising creative with added overlays, call to action, second screen buttons, and more to serve the right ad to the right member at the right time. These formats will be available by 2026 in all ad-supported countries.”
Netflix launched its ad-supported tier in 2022, with the offer being that users can use the platform for a lower price. In the UK, an ad-tier subscription costs £5.99 per month, while the ad-free Standard plan costs £12.99 per month. The Premium plan, offering 4K resolution streaming, is £18.99.
Going by the company’s own numbers, the ad-tier has been a popular choice, accounting for almost a third of its 300 million subscriber base. It remains to be seen what Netflix’s more integrated, gen-AI ads will look like, or how customers will respond to them. Judging by its presentation, the streaming colossus seems confident that its customers will tolerate the increase in ads and won’t switch off their televisions.
“So if you take away anything from today,” Reinhard said, “I hope it’s this: the foundation of our ads business is in place. And going forward, the pace of progress is going to be even faster.”
During the presentation, Reinhard was also joined by the stars of the hit TV show Nobody Wants This. That’s an appropriate title.
