NEW YORK — At its latest upfront presentation, Netflix reiterated its value proposition combining technology, entertainment content, and scale to advertisers seeking to reach its highly engaged and growing audience. Executives shared impressive data during the May 13 event and unveiled new pilots and capabilities in programmatic advertising, agentic AI, and data-driven insights.

Between segments, stars like Florence Pugh and Millie Bobby Brown took the stage, and there was also a classic "dog and pony show" moment — literally, three dogs from the Westminster Kennel Club appeared, whose dog show will air on Netflix in 2027.

"If the past few years were about proving we are a lasting player, then this year is about establishing our stronger position," said Amy Reinhard, Netflix's president of advertising, at the event. "We have proven our effectiveness. We are expanding advertising to more regions and are ready to compete with anyone."

Netflix recently shifted to monthly active viewing hours as its metric and claims 250 million monthly active viewing users globally. As this number grows, more than 60% of new registrations choose the ad-supported plan, and nearly half (44%) of members who see ads on Netflix have never seen that ad on traditional TV or other streaming services, providing advertisers with a unique audience.

This audience size is expected to expand further in 2027, when Netflix's advertising program will grow from its initial 12 countries to 15 new ones: Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand. The platform will also open new ad inventory for podcasts and vertical video globally in 2027 and expand brand partnerships with official fan site Tudum.

As Netflix discussed in its most recent earnings call, the company is leveraging its decades of AI and machine learning tools to build its advertising business. DoorDash, Target, and TurboTax have recently tested AI-driven capabilities aimed at better matching advertiser creative with platform content — a capability that will roll out to all ad-supported regions by the end of 2026.

The company is also testing AI agents for managing, optimizing, and buying ads, and it already offers AI tools for developing and optimizing media plans based on brand objectives. Additionally, AI is being used to adapt creative for different formats, such as vertical video or pause ads, and to test new personalized ad loads and frequency caps that dynamically adjust based on viewing behavior.

"Beyond new inventory, we blend art and science better than anyone," Reinhard said. "AI is already making advertising on Netflix simpler and more efficient."

Simplifying ad campaigns, driving performance

Netflix unveiled new tools, capabilities, and partnerships spanning planning, buying, and measurement at the event. These products are part of the Netflix Ads Suite, which was deployed to all ad-supported regions in the fall. In addition to featuring the cast of "Emily in Paris" to showcase full-funnel solutions, Netflix's vice president of advertising, Nicole Pangis, also appeared at the event; she previously served as CEO of cable advertising sales company Ampersand.

"I know the pressure on every dollar is greater than ever, and I know you're looking for fewer but more strategic partners who deliver high-quality environments and have the scale you need to simplify buying and drive better results," Pangis said at the event.

A new Audience Insights API helps advertisers understand member characteristics and behaviors, while a Reach Curve API assists in predicting campaign reach. The company has integrated with partners such as Snowflake and Amazon Web Services on data clean rooms and will add InfoSum as a partner by year-end. Netflix is also working with Dentsu, Omnicom, PMG, and Tinuiti on solutions like planning APIs and clean rooms.

Additionally, Netflix is expanding programmatic capabilities to live and pause ads, using dynamic ad insertion technology that enables clients to buy through their preferred demand-side platform partners — launching first in the U.S. and Canada this summer, followed by broader expansion by year-end. The company will also enable programmatic audience targeting on Amazon DSP for all ad-supported countries starting June 1, and on Yahoo DSP a few months later, providing a timeline for previously announced partnerships.

Amid the ongoing audience measurement battle, Netflix joins the ranks of publishers committed to proving effectiveness rather than just impressions. According to data shared by Netflix, ad campaigns on the streaming platform are nearly twice as effective at long-term brand building as the TV industry average, with purchase intent performance 23% higher than competitors.

Dove partnered with Netflix around the hit series "Bridgerton" for a campaign spanning consumer products and custom ads, generating over 1 billion impressions across seven markets and increasing new product shoppers by nearly 60%. Meanwhile, Airbnb's collaboration with "Nobody Wants This" around the booking platform's experience products boosted brand awareness and purchase intent, with return on ad spend more than double the industry benchmark and driving booking growth.

"Ads on Netflix drive higher attention, stronger brand recognition, greater engagement, and more searches and website visits — that's not surprising — but compared to competitors, they also drive higher sales, lift purchase intent, and improve return on ad spend," Pangis said.