Nearly half of streaming subscriptions are for plans with ads

Given the prime betwixt paying much oregon watching ads, radical are choosing ads.

Ad-supported tiers are proving to beryllium fashionable with streaming customers. New information from subscription expert steadfast Antenna shows that 46 percent of Discovery Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and Peacock subscribers successful the US are paying for ad-supported plans, and that astir 75 percent of subscribers person astatine slightest tried them.

Many streaming services person ad-supported tiers  — HBO Max launched its $9.99 advertisement plan successful 2021, followed by Netflix’s $6.99 and Disney Plus’s $7.99 plans successful 2022, for example. But successful its Q2 2025 State of Subscriptions report, Antenna notes that fractional of the large streaming platforms it analyzed didn’t connection an ad-supported program 2 years ago, and lone a 3rd of subscriptions to services that did were for an advertisement plan. Comparatively, 71 percent of nett subscriber additions implicit the past 9 quarters person been driven by advertisement plans according to Antenna’s data, with nary meaningful differences successful demographic and loyalty compared to ad-free subscribers.

It’s a win-win for streaming companies that tin reap the benefits of some further advertizing gross and maturation from providing much affordable memberships. Antenna reports that 65 percent of users who had subscribed to ad-supported plans were wholly caller to the streaming service, with users who had switched from pricer ad-free tiers accounting for lone 11 percent of subscriptions.

Netflix’s advertisement tier has particularly taken off, having doubled successful subscribers implicit the past year. That occurrence is emboldening the level to commencement experimenting with its advertizing model, with interactive and intermission surface ads coming successful 2026, and plans to blend AI ads into shows and movies successful the future.