Netflix’s entry into the ad business could give the connected TV business a big boost.
Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, a top CTV measurement and verification company, said a Netflix with ads could grow the market for CTV ads by 30% to 50%, with Netflix attracting 40 million ad support subscribers right out of the gate.
“With maybe the exception of YouTube, Netflix’s subscriber numbers dwarf any other subscriber system and any ad-supported VOD platform today,” Zargoski said.
Also: Netflix Plan For A Tier With Commercials A Positive Sign for Ad Tech: Analyst
“Even if a small percentage of Netflix’s current subscribers shift to an ad-supported model, you’re looking at 20 million subscribers possibly right out of the gate, plus another 20 million in new ad-supported viewers,” Zagorski said. “If you have 40 million streaming viewers, that would make them one of the largest ad-supported streaming platforms on the planet. It would accelerate the growth of CTV advertising in a way we haven’t seen before, with anywhere between 30-50% growth just from Netflix alone.”
Zagorski has been on record since at least 2019 as expecting Netflix to eventually get into the ad business despite vehement denials from the company‘s top executives, including CEO Reed Hastings.
CTV has already been one of the fastest-growing parts of the video advertising ecosystem.
The CTV explosion has also led to numerous efforts at defrauding advertisers who think they’re reaching streaming viewers. DoubleVerify has detected many of these schemes, protecting its clients and preventing millions of dollars in fraud. ■
