Ad-supported tiers are proving to be popular with streaming customers. New data from subscription analyst firm Antenna shows that 46 percent of Discovery Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and Peacock subscribers in the US are paying for ad-supported plans, and that around 75 percent of subscribers have at least tried them.
Many streaming services have ad-supported tiers — HBO Max launched its $9.99 ad plan in 2021, followed by Netflix’s $6.99 and Disney Plus’s $7.99 plans in 2022, for example. But in its Q2 2025 State of Subscriptions report, Antenna notes that half of the big streaming platforms it analyzed didn’t offer an ad-supported plan two years ago, and only a third of subscriptions to services that did were for an ad plan. Comparatively, 71 percent of net subscriber additions over the last nine quarters have been driven by ad plans according to Antenna’s data, with no meaningful differences in demographic and loyalty compared to ad-free subscribers.
It’s a win-win for streaming companies that can reap the benefits of both additional advertising revenue and growth from providing more affordable memberships. Antenna reports that 65 percent of users who had subscribed to ad-supported plans were completely new to the streaming service, with users who had switched from pricer ad-free tiers accounting for only 11 percent of subscriptions.
Netflix’s ad tier has especially taken off, having doubled in subscribers over the last year. That success is emboldening the platform to start experimenting with its advertising model, with interactive and pause screen ads coming in 2026, and plans to blend AI ads into shows and movies in the future.