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Netflix teams up with Microsoft for ad-supported video

Netflix plans to launch an ad-supported subscription tier as early as this year.

Netflix corporate office

Microsoft will be Netflix's global ad-tech and sales partner, said Netflix's chief operating and chief product officer, Greg Peters.

Photo: Venti Views/Unsplash

Netflix is partnering with Microsoft to launch ad-supported subscriptions, the company announced Wednesday. Microsoft will be Netflix's global ad-tech and sales partner, according to Netflix's chief operating and chief product officer, Greg Peters.

"Microsoft offered the flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side, as well as strong privacy protections for our members," Peters said in the announcement.

Netflix first announced plans to launch a cheaper, ad-supported tier earlier this year. The company has yet to release details about the offering, but reports say the company has been looking to launch it before the end of the year. Netflix reportedly also talked to Comcast and Google about powering its advertising business.

Microsoft has been doubling down on its advertising business in recent months. The company announced the acquisition of TV ad tech specialist Xandr from AT&T in December; the deal ultimately closed in June. Microsoft's total ad revenue surpassed $10 billion in 2021.

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

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