Netflix announced on May 15, 2024, that its ad-supported plan had reached 40 million global monthly active users. That is a historical milestone, not Netflix’s current audience figure: the company later reported more than 94 million monthly active users in 2025 and more than 250 million monthly active viewers in 2026.
What Netflix’s 40 million figure meant
At its May 15, 2024 Upfront presentation to advertisers, Netflix said its ad-supported plan had 40 million global monthly active users, up from 5 million a year earlier. Netflix also said that over 40% of signups in countries where the ad plan was available came from that plan. These were figures reported by Netflix, not independently audited audience counts. Netflix’s 2024 announcement
The announcement does not define “monthly active user.” The figure therefore should not be read as 40 million paid subscriptions, households, or unique individuals. It identifies the metric Netflix chose to report, but does not explain its counting method.
How the reported audience changed
Netflix announced larger figures in later years. The wording changed in 2026, so the figures should not be treated as perfectly like-for-like: the available announcements do not establish whether the measurement methodology remained the same.
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| Announcement | Netflix’s reported metric | What Netflix said |
|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2024 | Global monthly active users | 40 million, up from 5 million a year earlier. Netflix, 2024 |
| May 2025 | Global monthly active users | More than 94 million. Netflix, 2025 |
| May 2026 | Global monthly active viewers | More than 250 million. Netflix also said more than 80% of ad-plan subscribers actively watched Netflix each week. Netflix, 2026 |
These are company-reported milestones. The 40-million number remains useful as a snapshot of the plan’s growth in 2024, but it is outdated as a description of the audience Netflix later reported.
Why Netflix announced the milestone at an Upfront
The 40-million announcement came during Netflix’s second Upfront presentation, an event for advertisers. Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising, presented the milestone as the company discussed its advertising business. Netflix also said programmatic buying capabilities would expand to include The Trade Desk, Google Display & Video 360, and Magnite, joining Microsoft as main programmatic partners. Those details describe what Netflix announced in 2024; they do not confirm current partner status or availability. Netflix’s 2024 announcement
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Netflix’s claim that advertisers could reach “the most engaged audience in the world” was promotional language in the same announcement, not an independently established comparison. Its 2026 Upfront announcement later described the Netflix Ads Suite and advertising integrations including Amazon DSP and Yahoo DSP. These are advertiser-facing developments, not consumer offers or endorsements. Netflix’s 2026 announcement
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What the numbers do—and do not—tell viewers
- They show reported reach over time: Netflix’s announcements document a rise from 40 million monthly active users in 2024 to more than 94 million in 2025, followed by more than 250 million monthly active viewers in 2026.
- They do not reveal the counting method: the cited announcements do not explain how Netflix defines an active user or viewer.
- They are not a count of subscriptions: the reported audience metric is distinct from a stated number of paid plan subscriptions.
- They are Netflix’s figures: the announcements establish what the company reported, not an independent audit of those totals.
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