Ad-Supported Tiers Now Own 28% of Streaming Revenue

Platforms aren’t chasing subscriber counts anymore, instead they’re focused on getting more value out of the audiences they already have. According to new research, ad-supported tiers made up 28% of global streaming subscription revenues in 2025, a 460% increase from 2020. Total global streaming revenues hit $177 billion last year, with $20 billion coming from advertising alone. 

The results from that shift in priorities speak for themselves. Netflix, once the poster child for ad-free streaming, more than doubled its ad revenues last year after launching its ad-supported tier just three years ago. With subscription revenues forecast to surpass $200 billion by 2030, hybrid models combining paid and ad-supported tiers are quickly becoming the industry standard. For advertisers, this represents a rare moment of alignment: inventory is expanding just as audience demand for affordable streaming is rising. 

Our Take
When the introduction of ad-supported tiers lowered the cost barrier for viewers to stream their preferred content, the ads themselves became an afterthought. Now those tiers are a growth line the platforms answer for, which gives the services their own reason to unlock premium inventory and invest in the measurement that backs it. We read that as a supply-side signal worth acting on. The inventory and measurement around ad-supported streaming will keep improving because the platforms now have as much riding on it as advertisers do. That direction is already showing up in deals that open premium streaming inventory to advertisers who could not reach it before.

Connected TV in the News

What Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Means for Advertisers 
eMarketer
Paramount’s $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery creates a media giant that will reshape the streaming landscape.

The Summer of Momentum: 3 Trends To Shape Your 2026 TV Advertising Strategy
MNTN Research
Here’s what our analysis of big summer moments, paired with MNTN seasonal advertiser performance data, reveals about the trends to shape your 2026 advertising strategy.

Amazon, Roku Maintain Strong Streaming Positions 
MediaPost
Some of the strongest aggregators here are led by Amazon Prime Video. Fifty-four percent of respondents say they use Amazon Prime Video to get one or many streaming services, up from 50% in 2025.