Netflix to Introduce AI-Generated Ad Breaks in 2026

Netflix has announced plans to introduce AI-generated advertising, including pause ads, within its programming on the ad-supported tier starting in 2026. According to a report by Media Play News, the specifics of how these ads will target viewers remain undisclosed. It's unclear whether the ads will be personalized based on viewers' watch history or tailored to the content being watched at the time. As of now, there is limited information on the backend mechanics or the presentation of these ads, but their arrival is confirmed.

During a recent Upfront for advertisers event in New York City, Amy Reinhard, Netflix's President of Advertising, emphasized the company's unique blend of technology and entertainment. "Either they have great technology, or they have great entertainment," she stated. "Our superpower has always been the fact that we have both." Reinhard highlighted that compared to competitors, Netflix viewers maintain high levels of attention from the start to the end of their viewing sessions. Impressively, she noted that subscribers on the ad-supported tier pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and movies themselves.

Reinhard also shared that ad-supported tier subscribers watch an average of 41 hours of Netflix per month. Kotaku calculated that this equates to approximately three hours of ads per month for these viewers, a significant amount even without AI involvement. However, starting in 2026, these ads will indeed be AI-generated.

While Netflix has yet to announce an official implementation date for these changes, the introduction of AI-generated ads marks a significant shift in the streaming service's approach to advertising.