Netflix CFO: “No ads, for now”
March 9, 2022
Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann has told a conference “never say never” in response to being asked about whether the streaming platform would ever host adverts.
“It’s not something in our plan right now,” Neumann added, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.
Some analysts have been urging Netflix to introduce a lower-tier price with commercials to combat declining subscriber growth – which reached a peak during lockdowns amidst the pandemic – and falling shares, which have declined by 43 per cent this year.
Discovery+, Peacock and other similar services currently offer such tiers, whilst Disney+ has announced it will offer an ad-supported option before the end of the year.
“It’s not like we have religion against advertising,” Neumann continued. “We think we have a great model, a subscription business that scales globally really well. It’s hard for us to ignore that others are doing it, but for now it doesn’t make sense for us.”
Neumann also said Netflix viewed this year as a “learning year” with regards to its venture into mobile games. The company has offered 14 games to subscribers so far.