Netflix Touts “Growth & Momentum” in Upfront Presentation

Netflix’s ad-supported tier now boasts 40 million subs, the streamer revealed as it highlighted its upcoming slate, which includes a wealth of new series, specials and movies and an enhanced sports lineup with a deal with the NFL.

The platform hosted its second Upfront presentation for advertisers. Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising said the ad-supported tier had added 5 million subs in the last year. The ad tier accounts for more than 40 percent of all signups in the countries where it is available. New partners that advertisers can use to measure and verify the impact of their campaigns include Affinity Solutions, DoubleVerify, EDO Inc, Integral Ad Science, iSpotTV, Kantar, Lucid, NCSolutions, Nielsen and TVision. Further, the streamer is launching its own in-house advertising technology platform by year-end. “Bringing our ad tech in-house will allow us to power the ads plan with the same level of excellence that’s made Netflix the leader in streaming technology today,” Reinhard said.

This summer, The Trade Desk, Google’s Display & Video 360 and Magnite will join Microsoft as the main programmatic partners for advertisers.

“We’re being incredibly strategic about how we present ads because we want our members to have a phenomenal experience,” Reinhard added. “We conduct deep consumer research to make sure we stay ahead of the competition, bringing opportunities that are better for members and better for brands.”

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, highlighted the streamer’s slate and its efforts to keep subs engaged. “Our audiences are highly engaged—and by engaged, I mean that they are choosing to spend their time watching Netflix. That’s important because engagement is the key to success in streaming. When people watch our shows and movies, they get more value from Netflix, they stick around longer, and they’re more likely to recommend us to their friends. And this matters to all of you because you want to be where the audiences are, too.”

More than 70 percent of Netflix’s user base are watching for more than 10 hours a month—15 percentage points higher than the nearest competitor, according to Nielsen data cited by the streamer.

New series coming to the platform include Golf, created by Will Ferrell, Ramy Youssef and Josh Rabinowitz, starring Ferrell and Youssef and executive produced by Youssef and Rian Johnson; Running Point with Kate Hudson and executive produced by Mindy Kaling; The Waterfront from Kevin Williamson; and a contemporary cowboy saga starring Tim McGraw. 3 Body Problem has been renewed for a second season.

The sports lineup includes a doc on Jerry Jones and the 1990s Dallas Cowboys and three series in partnership with the International Olympic Committee: Simone Biles: Rising, a show spotlighting men’s basketball teams and Sprint, tracking the 100-meter sprinters. Netflix will also be the global home of the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games this year.

New films announced include Happy Gilmore 2 starring Adam Sandler, The Woman in Cabin 10 with Keira Knightley and a new title from Kathryn Bigelow.