Japan in the lead, France in the middle
Among the twelve markets studied closely by Digital-i, Japan ranks at the top with 62% of Netflix accounts supported by advertising. With 44%, France is just slightly below the global average. A particularly interesting detail noted by the study is that users of this option spend 32% less time watching Netflix than Premium subscribers, and 10% less than Standard subscribers.
The Asia-Pacific region as the main driver
“Across the world, we are seeing that in 2026 Netflix continues to increase the share of its customers subscribed to ad-supported plans, which are generally more profitable, building on several years of strong growth in key markets,” comments Matt Ross, Digital-i’s head of analytics. “Adoption of these plans has been proportionally highest in Asia-Pacific, a fast-growing region for Netflix overall, with many new subscribers being attracted by the lower entry price of the ad-supported option”. Picture
Netflix Standard with ads: the most popular subscription in the world
28.10.2026 • 13h05
Launched at the end of 2022, Netflix's Standard with ads offering is now establishing itself as the preferred plan for subscribers around the world. According to a recent study by Digital-i, nearly half of the platform's streaming users have now opted for this less expensive plan financed by advertising.
Only four years after its introduction, this subscription, considered at launch to be at the very least atypical for the Los Gatos company, has indeed become the option most adopted by users. Indeed, according to the latest data published by the analysis firm Digital-i, Netflix’s Standard with ads option confirms its dominance and stands out very clearly as the most popular among the platform’s SVOD subscribers.[abc]SVOD[/abc]
A rapid global adoption
Since its launch in 2022, the adoption of this pricing option has continued to grow. It is now activated on average among 46.9% of subscribers worldwide, logically ranking ahead of the two historic plans, Standard and Premium, and has done so since March 2025. By comparison, in July 2023, that figure was already 24%. A spectacular increase that validates the American giant’s strategy.
Japan in the lead, France in the middle
Among the twelve markets studied closely by Digital-i, Japan ranks at the top with 62% of Netflix accounts supported by advertising. With 44%, France is just slightly below the global average. A particularly interesting detail noted by the study is that users of this option spend 32% less time watching Netflix than Premium subscribers, and 10% less than Standard subscribers.
The Asia-Pacific region as the main driver
“Across the world, we are seeing that in 2026 Netflix continues to increase the share of its customers subscribed to ad-supported plans, which are generally more profitable, building on several years of strong growth in key markets,” comments Matt Ross, Digital-i’s head of analytics. “Adoption of these plans has been proportionally highest in Asia-Pacific, a fast-growing region for Netflix overall, with many new subscribers being attracted by the lower entry price of the ad-supported option”.
Japan in the lead, France in the middle
Among the twelve markets studied closely by Digital-i, Japan ranks at the top with 62% of Netflix accounts supported by advertising. With 44%, France is just slightly below the global average. A particularly interesting detail noted by the study is that users of this option spend 32% less time watching Netflix than Premium subscribers, and 10% less than Standard subscribers.
The Asia-Pacific region as the main driver
“Across the world, we are seeing that in 2026 Netflix continues to increase the share of its customers subscribed to ad-supported plans, which are generally more profitable, building on several years of strong growth in key markets,” comments Matt Ross, Digital-i’s head of analytics. “Adoption of these plans has been proportionally highest in Asia-Pacific, a fast-growing region for Netflix overall, with many new subscribers being attracted by the lower entry price of the ad-supported option”. 