Netflix introduced Monthly Active Viewers (MAV) on November 5, 2025, when it reported more than 190 million global monthly active viewers. That figure was not a count of subscribers or individually verified people. It was Netflix’s estimate of monthly ad reach using observed ad exposure plus a household co-viewing multiplier. On May 13, 2026, Netflix said its global MAV total had risen to more than 250 million.
What Netflix’s Monthly Active Viewers metric measures
Netflix defines MAV as members who watched at least one minute of ads on Netflix during a month, multiplied by Netflix’s estimated average number of people in a household.
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That calculation has two parts:
- Observed platform activity: Netflix identifies members who watched at least one minute of advertising during the month.
- Estimated co-viewing: Netflix applies an estimated average household size based on its first-party research.
The first component is based on behavior Netflix observes. The second is an estimate, not a person-by-person census. MAV is therefore best understood as Netflix’s estimated monthly advertising audience rather than a verified count of unique individuals.
Netflix introduced the metric as it entered the third season of its advertising business. The company said its earlier account- or profile-oriented measurement did not fully reflect people watching together in a household.
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Netflix’s announcement is available in its November 2025 advertising update.
What the 190 million figure does—and does not—mean
Netflix’s more than 190 million MAVs represented estimated global monthly advertising reach under the company’s methodology. It did not mean Netflix had 190 million ad-supported subscriptions.
The number does not necessarily represent:
- 190 million separate households;
- 190 million individually verified people;
- 190 million people who watched a full program;
- 190 million people who saw every advertiser’s campaign;
- 190 million simultaneous viewers; or
- 190 million people in a single country or market.
Nor does watching at least one minute of ads prove attentive viewing, brand recall, conversion, or a purchase. A monthly reach figure also does not show how often a particular viewer saw a campaign.
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The commercial case for MAV is co-viewing. An account or profile can identify the Netflix member associated with a stream, but it may not capture other household members watching the same screen.
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By adding an estimated household component, Netflix is trying to present an audience figure that more closely resembles the household-reach language used in television advertising. The company also said MAV could make Netflix’s audience easier for advertisers to compare with other reach and popularity measures.
That does not establish that MAV is objectively more accurate than every alternative. Netflix itself noted that streaming advertising does not have one universal industry standard for measuring overall reach. The more precise description is that Netflix broadened the unit it emphasizes—from account or profile activity to estimated people reached in households.
MAU versus MAV: why the numbers are not directly comparable
| Measure | What it primarily represents | Strength | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier monthly active users (MAU) | Accounts or profiles associated with ad-supported activity | Closer to directly observed platform activity | Can undercount people co-viewing with the member |
| Monthly Active Viewers (MAV) | Members who watched at least one minute of ads, multiplied by estimated household size | Attempts to reflect household co-viewing | Includes an estimated component and is not a person-level census |
The methodology change makes a simple growth calculation misleading. The 190 million MAV figure should not be presented as proof that Netflix’s audience grew directly from its earlier MAU totals at the same rate.
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Netflix’s reported audience timeline
- May 15, 2024: Netflix reported 40 million global monthly active users for its ad-supported plan in its 2024 Upfront announcement.
- May 14, 2025: Netflix reported more than 94 million global monthly active users in its 2025 Upfront announcement.
- November 5, 2025: Netflix introduced MAV and reported more than 190 million global monthly active viewers.
- May 13, 2026: Netflix reported more than 250 million global monthly active viewers in its 2026 Upfront presentation.
As of August 18, 2026, more than 250 million is the latest company-reported global MAV figure in the supplied record. The 190 million number remains important as the launch-era benchmark for the metric, but it is no longer Netflix’s latest reported reach.
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What MAV means for advertisers and media buyers
MAV gives advertisers a platform-level estimate of potential monthly household reach. That can be useful when comparing Netflix with television and other connected-TV opportunities, particularly for campaigns designed to reach multiple people watching together.
But buyers still need campaign-specific information. MAV alone does not establish deduplicated reach across devices, households, campaigns, or other streaming services. It also does not provide campaign frequency, viewability, fraud status, attention, brand lift, or sales impact.
For that reason, advertisers should ask:
- How is reach calculated for the specific campaign and market?
- Is the reported reach independently measured or only platform-reported?
- How are co-viewers, repeat exposure, and household duplication handled?
- What frequency caps and reporting are available?
- Which third-party providers can validate reach, frequency, viewability, brand lift, or attribution?
The advertising infrastructure around MAV
MAV is part of a broader Netflix advertising system rather than a standalone product. Netflix said its in-house Netflix Ads Suite had been implemented in all 12 ad-supported countries by November 2025. The company has described direct and programmatic buying, audience targeting, planning tools, measurement, conversion capabilities, and data collaboration.
Netflix has identified programmatic relationships involving Amazon DSP, Yahoo DSP, Google Display & Video 360, and The Trade Desk. Audience options may include demographics, interests, life stages, viewing behavior, and in-market signals, with availability varying by country, buying route, and product rollout.
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- Codes are applied to your account as a gift balance. Gift codes can be added to any plan, regardless of the amount.
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Netflix has also named measurement and verification partners including Kantar, iSpot, Nielsen, DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science, AudienceProject, Médiamétrie, and Macromill. LiveRamp has been associated with audience onboarding, while Snowflake and planned InfoSum support have been linked to clean-room or privacy-conscious data collaboration. These integrations do not mean every capability is available for every campaign or market.
Netflix’s official Ads Suite update also describes its Conversion API and expanded planning and measurement capabilities.
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In November 2025, Netflix said it was testing modular interactive video ads in the United States and Canada. The proposed units could combine elements such as overlays, calls to action, and second-screen buttons. Netflix said a broader rollout was planned by the second quarter of 2026, but availability should be treated as market- and rollout-dependent.
In its May 2026 Upfront presentation, Netflix described additional developments including:
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- programmatic buying for pause ads and live programming;
- dynamic ad insertion for live content;
- personalized ad loads and frequency caps;
- AI-assisted media planning; and
- AI tools for adapting creative to different surfaces.
Netflix also reported that more than 80% of ads-plan members were actively watching each week and cited a result that 44% of members who saw a Netflix ad had not seen it on broadcast television or other streamers. These are Netflix-reported commercial claims, not independent industry-wide findings.
How advertisers should interpret the 250 million update
The May 2026 figure suggests that Netflix’s reported ad-supported audience continued to expand, but it should not be read as a clean continuation of the earlier MAU series. Netflix changed from a primarily account- or profile-oriented measure to MAV, which includes estimated co-viewing.
The most defensible interpretation is that Netflix is presenting a larger, household-oriented advertising currency for planning and sales. Buyers should use it as an indication of Netflix’s potential platform reach, then validate actual campaign delivery and outcomes through appropriate independent measurement.
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Netflix’s 190 million figure was a November 2025 launch-era estimate of global monthly advertising viewers—not 190 million subscribers or a verified count of unique people. The metric combines observed ad exposure by Netflix members with an estimated household multiplier, making it broader than the company’s earlier MAU-style disclosures and less directly comparable with them.
Netflix’s latest reported figure, announced May 13, 2026, is more than 250 million global MAVs. The number is commercially important because Netflix is positioning its ad business for television-style reach, programmatic buying, live inventory, and cross-platform measurement. It remains a Netflix-reported audience currency, however, and should not replace independent checks of deduplicated reach, frequency, media quality, attention, or business results.
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