Netflix has changed the rules of TV advertising. What was once a closed door for brands is now a major advertising opportunity, giving businesses access to millions of viewers watching some of the world’s most talked-about shows, films and live events.
Since launching its ad-supported subscription in 2022, Netflix has rapidly developed its advertising offer, introducing more sophisticated targeting, new ad formats and more ways for advertisers to buy. For marketers, the question is no longer whether you can advertise on Netflix, but whether it should have a place in your media plan.
What is Netflix advertising?
Netflix advertising allows brands to place advertising within the viewing experience of members using the platform’s ad-supported plan. From a media planning perspective, it sits within the expanding world of video-on-demand (VOD) advertising. It gives advertisers access to audiences watching professionally produced films, series and live content without relying solely on traditional scheduled television.
Advertising opportunities include standard video advertising and formats such as pause ads, which display branded creative when a viewer pauses their programme. Netflix also offers a range of premium opportunities, including sponsorships, with availability depending on the market, campaign and buying route.
How does advertising on Netflix work?
A Netflix campaign starts in much the same way as any good media campaign: with the audience and objective, rather than the platform.
Netflix has invested heavily in its advertising technology since launching ads. Its in-house Netflix Ads Suite now operates across its ad-supported markets, while programmatic buying is also available through a growing selection of demand-side platforms. Netflix has expanded these routes to include Amazon DSP, Google Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk and Yahoo DSP, among others. For advertisers, that creates more flexibility in how campaigns are planned and bought.
Targeting has also become considerably more detailed. Depending on the type of buy and market, options can include age, gender and geography, as well as content-based targeting and additional demographic characteristics such as household income, education and parental status. Netflix has also introduced in-market audience options and ways for advertisers to activate their own first-party audience data. These options mean that Netflix advertising is not simply a case of putting a television advert in front of everybody watching Netflix – the campaign needs to be structured around the people the advertiser wants to reach.
Types of Netflix ads
Netflix advertising is not limited to a single type of video placement. Brands can appear before and during programmes, while formats such as pause ads create additional opportunities to be seen without interrupting what someone is watching. The exact formats available can depend on the market and buying route.
Pre-roll ads
Pre-roll ads appear before the viewer’s chosen programme or film begins. This allows advertisers to reach people when their attention is already focused on the screen and they are ready to start watching. Netflix’s standard video ads can be served in pre-roll positions, with the creative and campaign settings determined as part of the wider media buy.
Mid-roll ads
Mid-roll ads appear during longer-form Netflix content and placements are designed to sit within appropriate breaks in the viewing experience. For advertisers, this creates another opportunity to reach an engaged audience during a programme or film, while frequency and placement need to be considered carefully as part of the campaign plan. Netflix currently supports its standard video advertising in both pre-roll and mid-roll positions.
Netflix Pause Ads
Pause Ads take a different approach; when a viewer pauses eligible content, the programme reduces on screen, and branded creative appears alongside it until viewing resumes. This gives brands visibility at a natural break chosen by the viewer rather than inserting another video ad into the programme itself. Pause Ads are already part of Netflix’s advertising offer and Netflix is continuing to expand how they can be bought, including wider programmatic availability during 2026.
The right format will depend on the campaign objective, available creative, audience and budget. At MEERKATworks, we would consider the placement itself alongside targeting, reach, frequency and the role Netflix plays within the wider TV and VOD plan.
Is Netflix advertising the same as connected TV (CTV) advertising?
There is considerable crossover, but the terms are not interchangeable. CTV advertising refers to advertising delivered through streamed content on an internet-connected television, which could include a smart TV or a television using a streaming device. Netflix is one of many services that can form part of this viewing environment. Netflix itself can also be watched on other devices, so it is better to think of Netflix as one potential platform within a broader VOD and CTV media strategy.
This distinction is important when planning reach, as your audience may be split between Netflix, broadcaster platforms such as ITVX and Channel 4, other subscription streaming services and traditional TV. Putting the whole budget into one platform simply because it has a well-known name could miss valuable viewers elsewhere.
Who should consider advertising on Netflix?
Netflix may be worth considering when its available audience, targeting and geographic options match the people that your business wants to influence. It can be particularly interesting for campaigns in which strong video creative, brand awareness and incremental reach are important.
The geography of your campaign is important too, as a national consumer brand and a business targeting selected locations have very different media requirements. Creative is another consideration: an advert needs to work effectively in a high-quality television and streaming environment rather than simply being repurposed from another digital channel without any consideration.
Unsurprisingly, budget may be the deciding factor; Netflix will not be suitable for every advertiser and in some cases the same investment may work harder across a different combination of TV, VOD or digital channels. That is why we would assess Netflix as part of the wider broadcast media advertising picture rather than recommend it simply because it is available.
How much does Netflix advertising cost?
This is understandably one of the first questions businesses ask, but there is no single Netflix advertising cost that can be applied to every campaign. The amount required will depend on factors including the buying route, audience, targeting, geography, inventory, format, campaign period and overall volume of advertising being purchased. There is a minimum investment required for Netflix advertising, although this can vary depending on the campaign, market and buying arrangement.
A useful starting point when considering Netflix advertising is to review your available media budget and what the campaign needs to achieve. At MEERKATworks, we can advise on current buying requirements and, importantly, whether allocating that level of investment to Netflix makes commercial sense. If it does not, there may be other VOD or TV options capable of reaching the same audience more efficiently.
Where should Netflix sit within a wider media plan?
Netflix becomes more interesting when viewed as part of a television audience rather than as an isolated channel. Different households – and different people within those households – divide their viewing between linear television, broadcaster catch-up services and subscription streaming platforms. A strong media plan considers that fragmentation and works out the best combination of channels to build effective reach and frequency.
At MEERKATworks we use this holistic approach in practice. For example, in the case of Lightning Fibre, MEERKATworks planned and bought a multi-platform VOD campaign across the broadband provider’s coverage area, using ITVX, Netflix, Prime and Disney alongside other CTV inventory. The platforms worked together as part of a wider plan designed to reach the campaign’s target audience across the places they were watching.
Is Netflix advertising right for your next campaign?
Netflix advertising has developed quickly; its growing ad-supported audience, expanding targeting capabilities and increasing range of buying options mean it now deserves consideration alongside more established TV and VOD channels. But, as always, the MEERKATs would advise that you think first about your audience, objectives and available budget. From there, the job of media planning is to establish whether Netflix can add something valuable to the campaign – and how it should work alongside the rest of your media activity.
Interested in advertising on Netflix? Talk to MEERKATworks about TV advertising – we can draw on our two decades of media planning & buying expertise to provide the best combination of Netflix, VOD, connected TV and traditional television for your audience and budget.