Advertising-supported tiers are expected to generate 54% of North American subscription streaming revenues by the end of 2026, according to Ampere Analysis.
Combined subscription and advertising revenues from these plans will exceed $45 billion during the year. Advertising alone is forecast to contribute more than $18 billion, taking its share of total subscription OTT revenue above 20% for the first time.
North America accounts for almost 60% of global revenues from ad-supported subscription streaming. Ampere attributed its lead to higher subscription prices and advertising rates, a mature connected TV market and greater consumer acceptance of advertising.
Amazon Prime Video is expected to lead the region’s ad-supported subscription market with revenues of more than $14 billion in 2026. Amazon introduced advertising to its standard Prime Video service in early 2024, requiring subscribers to pay an additional fee to remove commercials. Netflix and Disney+ have instead used lower prices to encourage customers to select their advertising plans.
Procter & Gamble, Amazon and Walmart together accounted for 22% of US subscription streaming advertising impressions during the first part of 2026.
Ampere said the move towards advertising was also influencing commissioning. North American first-run and renewal orders for unscripted programming by the six largest global streaming services doubled between 2020 and 2025, reflecting demand for regularly released content capable of encouraging repeat viewing.
“Advertising has become a fundamental part of streamers’ business models, changing both how success is measured and the content they commission,” said Rory Gooderick, research manager at Ampere Analysis.
“As subscriber growth slows in mature markets, the focus has shifted towards driving engagement and habitual viewing. The challenge now is to increase monetisation without compromising the premium viewing experience that these streamers have spent years cultivating.”
