By Kimeko McCoy • April 28, 2026 •
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Netflix’s ad business is starting to look less like an experiment and more like a serious contender for ad budgets. The streaming giant is striking deals via new upfront structures, expanding its ad tech and rolling out unique content opportunities.
All said, Netflix is aiming to build a bigger, more differentiated ad product — one that will disrupt the streaming ad market.
“Netflix had a tough start with its ad business four/five years ago,” Tim Peterson, Digiday executive editor, video and audio, said on a recent episode of the Digiday Podcast. He added, “It feels like in the past year plus, Netflix has had a real glow up on the ad side of things.”
