Netflix upfront—NFL deal, in-house ad tech and more takeaways

Netflix used its upfront presentation to debut in-house ad tech, talk about its first NFL games and the 40 million-plus monthly active users on its ad tier. But the real pitch was the way it can connect brands to culture. At its first in-person presentation (it opted for a virtual show last year due to Writers Guild of America picketers), the streaming giant held The Netflix Experience, a multiroom interactive show featuring series favorites such as “Squid Game” and “Bridgerton,” as well as upcoming titles. Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria pointed to “Bridgerton,” which has partnered with brands to create clothes and pastries as well as the touring Bridgerton Ball experience, which Bajaria said has been the site of over 50 marriage proposals. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Bajaria said Netflix’s objective isn’t just to press play, but to “press play and stay.” The streamer also talked about the fast growth of its ad tier as well as new measurement partners. Netflix’s ad tier surpassed 40 million monthly active users, Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising, told an intimate group of advertisers at a preview for the full event on May 15. Netflix had 5 million monthly active users on its ad tier at this time last year. More from Netflix’s upfront show: In-house ad tech Netflix announced it would be taking its ad tech in-house, allowing it more control over sales and measurement, which it currently shares with Microsoft. This summer, Netflix will launch new programmatic partners for advertisers to access Netflix inventory through. The streamer will keep Microsoft on alongside The Trade Desk, Google’s Display and Video 360 and Magnite. In addition to the programmatic partners, Netflix announced its current suite of measurement partners including Affinity Solutions, DoubleVerify, EDO, Integral Ad Science, iSpot.TV, Kantar, Lucid, NCSolutions, Nielsen and TVision, a marked change from a year ago when it was merely teasing the launch of third-party ad measurement on the platform. Get upfront updates sent directly to your inbox here Streaming sports Just before Netflix’s show, the NFL confirmed rumors that had been circulating about a Netflix deal. The streamer will air its first live NFL games this Christmas Day when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens play the Houston Texans. Netflix will also host at least one Christmas game in both 2025 and 2026 as part of a three-year pact. Advertisers have been clamoring for the opportunity to grab Netflix’s scarce sponsorships around its live events to reach the full subscriber base of the platform (almost 270 million globally) versus its ad-supported audience. Netflix has been dipping its toe into live sports and events over the past few years. Last year, it hosted the Netflix Cup, which brought together golf and Formula 1 stars for a one-off competition. More recently it hosted a live roast of NFL legend Tom Brady, which Bajaria said was Netflix’s most-watched live event ever, drawing in 13.8 million viewers in the week that began May 6. In July, it will stream a live fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul—sponsored by Celsius. And Netflix will be shopping sponsorships for WWE Raw, which Netflix will begin streaming weekly in 2025.

Netflix upfront—NFL deal, in-house ad tech and more takeaways

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