Netflix is working on a new type of advertising that will allow advertisers to “marry” their product with shows and movies of the streaming service using artificial intelligence. This may seem similar to Warner Bros. Discovery’s plan to turn its intellectual property into ads, but during Netflix’s Upfront event on Wednesday, the company showed off an example that placed a product image against a background inspired by one of its shows.
If you’re on an ad-supported Netflix plan, that means you might see ads that go along with the show you’re watching, whether it’s Bridgerton or Veep. Netflix says advertisers can insert this new ad format in the middle of what you’re watching or bring them to the screen when you hit pause. They may contain an overlay or call to action when they are launched by the end of this year.
It is not yet clear how Netflix plans to develop these ads in the future, but its president of advertising Amy Reinhardt said that the pace of progress “will be even faster.” During the event, Netflix also announced that its ad-supported level has reached 94 million monthly users, more than double the 40 million at the same time last year.
