Netflix simply admitted they’re about to make the service worse on objective

At any time when I consider Netflix currently, the very first thing that involves thoughts is not the content material, it is the value. Simply two months in the past, Netflix introduced one other spherical of worth hikes, elevating its ad-supported tier to $9/month, its Normal plan to $20/month, and its Premium plan to $27/month.

Nevertheless, regardless of these will increase, Netflix’s subscriber rely nonetheless seems to be rising, notably in its ad-supported tier.

At its latest Upfront presentation, Netflix revealed that greater than 250 million individuals worldwide are actually subscribed to its $9 ad-supported plan, a serious soar from the 190 million it reported again in November 2025 (through Selection).

In 2025, Netflix reported incomes $1.5 billion from adverts alone, and with the variety of ad-tier subscribers persevering with to climb, that determine will probably develop much more in 2026. And it will not simply be due to extra subscribers, however as a result of Netflix plans to pack much more adverts into its app very quickly, which, to me, looks as if it would solely make Netflix worse.

Extra adverts are coming to Netflix

Shock, shock

In accordance with The Verge, Netflix plans to increase the variety of adverts in its app, and, completely unsurprisingly, the primary means it is doing that’s by bringing adverts to its new vertical video feed referred to as “Clips,” which it launched in its cellular app simply final month.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Netflix’s new vertical video feed, it is primarily the TikTok-ification of the Netflix app. It provides a feed of brief movies customers can swipe by, that includes clips from exhibits and films on Netflix, and in case you see one thing you want, you possibly can soar straight into streaming it.

Mainly, Netflix has created a means for customers to doomscroll in its app and, as a part of its advert technique, it now plans to incorporate adverts in that feed beginning subsequent yr, just like how Instagram and TikTok deal with adverts of their apps.

The second place the place Netflix plans to increase its advert presence subsequent yr is its podcast part. Earlier this yr, in response to the rising recognition of podcasts, Netflix introduced podcasts into its app, including a number of the greatest exhibits from platforms like Spotify, Barstool Sports activities, and iHeartMedia, together with podcasts like The Invoice Simmons Podcast and Pardon My Take, alongside its personal unique productions.

So in case you’re subscribed to Netflix’s ad-supported tier, you possibly can count on to see much more adverts within the app beginning subsequent yr. On high of that, Netflix is reportedly testing new personalization instruments that tailor the adverts customers see primarily based on their viewing habits. So in case you recurrently watch a sure style of exhibits or films, Netflix might begin serving you adverts extra carefully tied to these pursuits to higher seize your consideration.

Moreover, Netflix introduced at Upfront that it is bringing its ad-supported tier to fifteen extra international locations, together with Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Eire, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand.

General, it is clear that Netflix needs to develop its advert income as a lot as attainable, and with plans so as to add much more adverts to the app subsequent yr, alongside the continued world enlargement of its ad-supported tier, it in all probability will. I simply hope all this advert income progress means Netflix eases up on worth hikes for some time, particularly because the ad-supported tier now prices $9/month after initially launching at $7/month, and since 4K ad-free streaming now prices $27/month, which I discover ridiculous.