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Netflix has introduced a new advertising measurement that the streaming giant says better reflects the true reach of its ad-supported tier, and the results are eye-catching.
The company announced Wednesday that it now counts 190 million "monthly active viewers" (MAVs) across the 12 markets where its ad tier is available. The MAV figure represents the number of people who have watched at least one minute of ad-supported content on Netflix, multiplied by the company's estimate of average household size based on internal data.
The new benchmark replaces Netflix's previous use of "monthly active users" (MAUs), which tracked the number of individual profiles that streamed content each month. Amy Reinhard, Netflix's president of advertising, said the shift is meant to provide a "clearer and more realistic" picture of viewership, particularly for advertisers.
"This came from looking at the broader landscape," Reinhard explained. "Some platforms count a view at zero seconds, some at ten. We felt one minute reflects an intentional viewing session and offers transparency to our partners."
Netflix first shared ad-tier figures in May, reporting 94 million MAUs, roughly equivalent to 170 million viewers. That number has since been refined to include the one-minute threshold, giving a more comprehensive sense of co-viewing, a key factor in streaming households where multiple people share one screen.
The company entered the advertising market in 2022 after years of rejecting commercials. Its $9-per-month ad tier, developed through a partnership with Microsoft, has since expanded rapidly amid rising subscription prices and growing demand for cheaper options.
Now heading into its fourth year of ad operations, Netflix says it serves thousands of advertisers globally and has transitioned fully to its own ad-tech platform. The company has also partnered with more than 50 global measurement firms and begun testing interactive video ads in the United States and Canada, with a worldwide rollout planned for 2026.
"With MAV, we're capturing the full scale of people watching together," Reinhard said. "It's not just about subscribers, it's about who's actually on the couch."
