Netflix is shaking up the advertising world with a fresh new metric — Monthly Active Viewers (MAV) — designed to better reflect how people actually watch its shows. Instead of simply counting user profiles, MAV measures the real number of people watching, including friends and families gathered around one screen. The streaming giant says this new approach paints a more complete picture of audience reach — and reveals an impressive 190 million monthly ad viewers worldwide.
According to Netflix, MAV represents members who watch at least one minute of ads per month, multiplied by an estimated average of viewers per household. The shift comes after Netflix realized its previous system — Monthly Active Users (MAUs) — didn’t account for co-viewing.
“Netflix viewing is often a shared experience,” explained Mitzi Reaugh, Netflix’s VP of advertising. “MAU was a conservative view of our reach. MAV reflects the reality of how people enjoy Netflix — together.”
With this move, Netflix hopes MAV can set a new benchmark for the streaming industry, which currently lacks a unified standard for measuring ad audiences. The company believes this transparency will help advertisers understand not just how many accounts are watching, but how many people their messages are truly reaching.
The launch comes as Netflix’s ad business gains momentum. The platform says it’s on track to more than double ad revenue in 2025, thanks to growing interest from global brands. Earlier this year, Netflix rolled out its own ad tech stack across 12 markets, allowing advertisers to buy space directly — no middlemen required. Co-CEO Gregory Peters said the platform is now “building at scale” and that advertisers are “excited about what comes next.”
Netflix isn’t stopping there. The company is expanding its targeting tools to include details like education, household income, and marital status, giving advertisers sharper precision. It’s also experimenting with interactive ads, featuring call-to-action prompts based on what viewers are watching. “We’re building an experience that feels personal, not intrusive,” said Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising. “It’s about connecting brands with audiences in ways that feel natural — and that’s where the real power of Netflix lies.”
