CTV and Streaming Advertising in 2026: How to Plan Netflix, Prime and More
CTV advertising is growing fast as Netflix and Prime Video scale their ad tiers. Spend data, programmatic CTV, measurement gaps and how brands should plan.
Connected TV has moved from an experiment to a core line in the media plan. The IAB's 2026 video report estimates US CTV ad spend at $29.3bn in 2026, up 11% on 2025, within a total US digital video market of $81.9bn 1. Meanwhile the two largest subscription streamers, Netflix and Prime Video, now sell ads to audiences in the hundreds of millions.
That scale brings new choices, and some old problems: rising costs, uneven measurement, and doubts about where programmatic CTV ads actually run.
How big CTV advertising has become
In the US, CTV is still growing, but it is no longer the fastest video channel. The IAB's May 2026 report shows social video overtaking CTV in 2025, and forecasts social video at $31.9bn in 2026 against $29.3bn for CTV 1. Digital formats now make up 61% of total TV and video spend in the US 1.
Outside the US, the growth rates are steeper from a smaller base. IAB MENA's latest market study, released in June 2026, found that digital advertising in the Middle East and North Africa reached $8.2bn in 2025, up 17.8%, and that CTV grew 31%, well ahead of the overall market 2.
When buyers choose where to place TV and video budgets, the IAB found targeting capability is now the top criterion (49%), followed by content quality (46%) and overall reach (39%) 1.
Netflix and Prime Video ad tiers
The biggest change in streaming advertising is that the two global subscription leaders have built serious ad businesses.
| Netflix | Prime Video | |
|---|---|---|
| Reported ad-supported audience | 250m+ global monthly active viewers (May 2026) 3 | 315m+ average monthly ad-supported viewers worldwide (November 2025) 4 |
| Measurement status | First MRC accreditation for US in-stream video impressions (2026) 5 | Amazon internal incrementality studies 6 |
| Data and targeting | Amazon DSP audience targeting in all ad markets by June 2026; clean rooms with Snowflake and AWS 3 | Authenticated graph reaching 90% of US households 6 |
Netflix. At its May 2026 upfront, Netflix said its ads plan reaches more than 250 million global monthly active viewers, with over 80% of ads members watching each week 3. It announced expansion of the ads plan to 15 more countries from 2027, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland, plus new podcast and vertical video inventory 3. Netflix also claims that 44% of members who see an ad on Netflix never saw it on broadcast TV or other streamers 3.
The money is growing, but not as fast as planned. Netflix's 2025 ad revenue was more than $1.5bn, over 2.5 times the previous year, and in January 2026 it expected that to roughly double in 2026 7. In October 2026, Netflix cut its 2026 ad revenue forecast from about $3bn to about $2.7bn, saying ad features were reaching the market more slowly than expected 8. In August 2026, Netflix said it had closed its upfront with ad commitments nearly doubled 5.
Prime Video. Amazon reported in November 2025 that Prime Video reaches an average of more than 315 million ad-supported viewers a month worldwide, up from 200 million when it first reported the figure in April 2024 4. European ad markets include the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden 4. At its May 2026 upfront, Amazon said Prime Video's ad-supported customers watch 17% more hours a month than a year earlier, and launched Dynamic TV Creative, which personalises interactive video ads based on shopping behaviour 6. Amazon's own 2025 study claims interactive video ads delivered five times higher purchase rates than standard streaming TV campaigns 6; treat this as a vendor claim to test, not a benchmark.
The two businesses are also connected. In September 2025, Amazon Ads and Netflix announced that Netflix inventory would be buyable through Amazon DSP from Q4 2025 in 11 markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain 9. Pause ads on Netflix can now be bought programmatically across major DSPs, including Google DV360, Amazon, Yahoo and The Trade Desk 5.
Programmatic CTV and the trust problem
Programmatic buying makes CTV accessible to brands without upfront-sized budgets, but the IAB's July 2026 research shows a confidence gap. Some 43% of buyers lack high confidence in where their CTV ads ran, even when buying through programmatic guaranteed and other premium routes. On the open exchange, more than two-thirds have little or no confidence 10. Brand safety was cited by 41% of buyers as a reason to reduce or pull CTV spend 10.
The practical rule: the further from the publisher you buy, the more you need to verify. Direct deals and programmatic guaranteed with named publishers carry less risk than open exchange inventory, where app names and content can be hard to confirm.
Measuring CTV properly
CTV sits awkwardly between TV and digital measurement. Impressions are counted like digital, audiences are sold like TV, and outcomes often rely on the platform's own data. A sound measurement set-up uses several layers:
- Delivery and verification. Confirm impressions, completion rates, app and publisher, and invalid traffic through independent verification where possible.
- Reach and frequency. Deduplicate reach across streamers and linear TV, and cap frequency across platforms, not just within each one.
- Brand outcomes. Run brand lift studies for awareness and consideration campaigns.
- Business outcomes. Use clean rooms, such as the Snowflake and AWS integrations Netflix now offers 3, to match exposure to your own sales or CRM data, and test incrementality with holdout groups.
Accreditation is improving. In 2026 Netflix's Ads Suite received its first Media Rating Council accreditation, covering US in-stream video impressions 5. That is a start, but most outcome claims from streamers remain self-reported.
How brands should plan CTV
- Set the job first. CTV can build reach, drive search and site traffic, or support retail sales. Each needs different inventory, creative and measurement.
- Buy premium where it matters. Use direct or programmatic guaranteed deals with major streamers for brand campaigns; use curated or private marketplace deals for broader reach.
- Plan for incremental reach. Prioritise platforms that reach viewers your linear TV and YouTube plans miss.
- Adapt creative. Pause ads, interactive formats and shoppable units need specific assets, not resized TV spots.
- Watch local availability. Ad tiers and formats roll out market by market, so check what is live in each country before committing budget. Netflix's ad tier expansion announced for 2027 includes no Middle East markets, for example 3.
Key takeaways
- The IAB forecasts US CTV spend at $29.3bn in 2026, while CTV in MENA grew 31% in 2025 12.
- Netflix reports 250m+ monthly ad viewers and Prime Video 315m+, but Netflix has cut its 2026 ad revenue forecast to about $2.7bn 348.
- Netflix is now buyable through multiple DSPs, including Amazon DSP 39.
- 43% of CTV buyers lack high confidence in where their ads ran, and confidence is lowest on open exchanges 10.
- Most streaming outcome claims are still vendor-reported, so independent measurement matters 56.
What this means for your brand
Treat CTV as a TV and digital channel at the same time: plan reach like TV, but verify and measure like digital. Start with a small number of premium streamers and named-publisher deals, set a clear objective for each, and use clean room or holdout tests to judge outcomes. Before scaling programmatic CTV, insist on app-level transparency and independent verification. Review availability and pricing market by market, as the ad tiers are still expanding.
Sources
- 2026 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, Part One - IAB, May 2026
- MENA digital advertising market surges to $8.2bn in 2025: IAB MENA - BroadcastPro ME, June 2026
- Netflix Upfront 2026: Get Closer - Netflix, May 2026
- Prime Video ad tier reaches 315 million monthly viewers globally - Marketing Week, November 2025
- Netflix Closes 2026 Upfront, Nearly Doubles Ad Commitments - TheWrap, August 2026
- Amazon Upfront 2026 recap: Series, movies, sports, ads news - Amazon Ads, May 2026
- Netflix earns $45.2 billion in revenue during 2025, projects $51 billion in 2026 - The Desk, January 2026
- Netflix lowers 2026 ad revenue forecast in Q3 earnings report - Quartz, October 2026
- Amazon Ads and Netflix partner to offer programmatic buying on Netflix's ads plan - Amazon Ads, September 2025
- Advertisers don't trust CTV inventory despite climbing spend: IAB - Marketing Dive, July 2026
Figures and product details are as reported by the sources listed, at the time of writing. Platforms change quickly, so check the latest documentation before acting on any single number.