iWorld
Netflix powers the global rise of ad-supported streaming
California: Netflix is turbocharging the shift to ad-supported streaming. Usage of cheaper, advert-backed tiers climbed across major platforms between Q4 2024 and Q3 2025, with Netflix leading the charge and Prime Video the lone laggard, according to new data from Digital i.
Netflix recorded the fastest adoption. By Q3 2025, 40 per cent of active accounts across 20 markets were on its Standard with Ads plan, up from 26 per cent in Q4 2024—an increase of 14 percentage points in under a year. The bargain pitch is working: viewers are voting with their wallets, and advertisers are following the eyeballs.
Disney+ also leaned hard into ads. Its ad-supported tier rose from 35 per cent to 44 per cent of subscribers over the same period. HBO Max followed suit, climbing from 22 per cent to 28 per cent, signalling a broader industry pivot towards hybrid revenue models as subscription fatigue bites.
Prime Video still dominates the ad-supported universe, but its grip is loosening. Usage slipped from 88 per cent of subscribers in Q4 2024 to 82 per cent in Q3 2025, the only major platform to post a decline. Saturation, it seems, has limits.
The findings come from Digital i’s tracking across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan, covering 20 markets in total. The trend is unmistakable: growth is coming from cheaper plans, not pricier bundles.
Streaming’s next act is clear. Ads are no longer a compromise—they are the growth engine. And as Netflix accelerates, rivals are running just to keep up.
