Netflix first upended upfront week in January with its announcement that it would be presenting in Paramount’s vacated Wednesday evening slot. Then it shook things up again last week by shifting to a virtual presentation and not having talent participate in its event, amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. Now, the streaming giant has gone for the hat trick, making its first-ever upfront week appearance Wednesday afternoon.
During its virtual presentation, the streamer broke out its ad-tier numbers for the first time (nearly 5 million monthly active users globally), highlighted its upcoming slate and—sans talent—showcased its various executives.
Greg Peters, co-CEO, Netflix, started the company’s event by promoting how the platform connects with consumers and delivers programming for everyone.
“To be the one to watch, you need everyone watching. And that’s what sets Netflix apart,” Peters said.
In the presentation, the company went over its accolades, including touting how its viewing across Nielsen’s Top 10 most-watched lists was three times greater than competitors combined in 2022, adding that it’s had the No. 1 original TV show on streaming in the U.S. for 15 out of 16 weeks—and the No. 1 movie for 14 weeks.
Adding up ad-tier numbers
The streamer originally launched its highly-anticipated ad tier last November, and, for the first time on Wednesday, it dove into the details of the ad-supported plan.
According to Netflix, ad tier members have more than doubled since early this year, and the plan has nearly 5 million monthly active users globally. During its most recent earnings call, Netflix said it has 232.5 million subscribers worldwide.
Peters explained that, on average, more than a quarter of Netflix sign-ups now choose the ads plan in countries where it’s available, and nearly 80% of ad-supported members’ viewing happens through a TV.
In terms of demographics, more than 70% of Netflix ads plan members fall in the 18-49 demo, and the global median age of Netflix’s ad-supported members is 34.
The company also included data from EDO, revealing that ad-plan viewers are more than four times as likely to engage with an ad on Netflix than other streaming services and more than four-and-a-half times as likely to engage with an ad on Netflix than linear TV.