This week we're covering:
Nearly half of all Netflix viewing now happens on its ad-supported tier, a milestone that marks the streaming giant's full arrival as an advertising platform and reshapes the economics of premium video.
According to Comscore's latest State of Streaming report, 45% of Netflix viewing occurred on the ad tier in August 2025, up from 34% just one year earlier. That 11% jump shows Netflix has cracked the code on converting subscribers without losing premium customers.
Netflix isn't alone. Disney+ saw ad-tier viewing climb 16% year-over-year, while Prime Video and HBO Max each added about 10%. Consumers are trading away ad-free experiences for lower subscription costs, and streamers are gaining a second revenue stream.
YouTube, long the undisputed leader in ad-supported streaming, actually slipped 2%. It still commands more than half of all ad-supported time, but Netflix's momentum makes it worth asking whether it will eat into YouTube's dominance or simply expand the total pie.
Price sensitivity is the obvious catalyst, but Comscore's research points to something deeper: Consumers are becoming more receptive to new ad formats, especially interactive and shoppable units that feel native to streaming rather than borrowed from linear TV.
That openness gives platforms room to innovate beyond the standard 15- and 30-second spots that defined television for decades. Netflix has been testing interactive formats and tighter integrations with its recommendation engine, turning ads into content discovery rather than blatant interruptions.
Netflix's ad tier now reaches more than 300 million US households. That scale, combined with Netflix's first-party data and premium content library, makes it a direct competitor not just to linear TV but to Meta and Google in the fight for brand budgets.
Streaming platforms pulled in $3.8 billion in ad revenue in Q3 2025, up nearly 18%, while national linear TV fell 10% to $4.65 billion (excluding Olympics). The gap is closing fast, and Netflix's market sweep is a big reason why.
Netflix's ad tier momentum proves that premium streaming inventory can deliver both reach and performance at scale. For performance marketers, Netflix's scale means premium inventory is no longer just for brand campaigns; it's becoming a viable channel for direct response and outcome-based buying.
The challenge now is building creatives that take full advantage of streaming's interactive capabilities rather than simply porting over linear spots.
Read More:
Home Instead's "Home But Not Alone" campaign brought Macaulay Culkin back as an adult Kevin McCallister, turning a 35-year-old Christmas classic into a festive reminder that, eventually, love needs backup.
The Details:
The 60-second spot is set to air during Home Alone broadcasts and college football coverage through January 11, putting the message in front of families during the exact moments when caregiving needs become obvious.
Culkin sealing his mom's house in plastic wrap worked as both a sight gag and a metaphor for the absurd lengths adult children go to when avoiding the actual care conversation.
Old Man Marley's granddaughter showed up with his shovel, carrying forward the lesson that isolation is the real danger, not the conversation itself.
What We Loved: FCB Chicago and director Jody Hill turned a nostalgia play into something that actually earned its emotional weight, proving you can sell in-home care without making people feel guilty or sad about it.