Video ads by channel / Netflix
Ads for Netflix.
Two length ladders, an SDR grade, a frame that leaves room for Netflix's own QR code, and a pause still worth stopping on.
The medium
Netflix is bought by agencies and demand-side platforms, not in an app. There is no self-serve tool: an advertiser buys through Netflix's sales team or through Display and Video 360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo or Amazon with a Netflix deal, and no minimum spend is published. The inventory is non-skippable, and Netflix reported more than 250 million monthly active viewers on its ads plan in May 2026, across twelve ad markets with fifteen more planned from 2027.
Its creative sheet is its own. Pre-roll runs ten to thirty seconds; mid-roll also takes forty-five, sixty and seventy-five. Everything must be SDR, mixed to minus 24 LKFS with true peaks no higher than minus 2 dBFS. Advertisers may not burn in their own QR codes, because Netflix overlays a generated one, and the pause ad is a still image with the right third of the frame given over to Netflix's panel.
Every creative is reviewed before it serves, in about 48 hours with no fast track, and political and religious advertising is refused outright.
The specs
Quoted from the platforms' own pages. The source and the date each was read are under the table.
| Placement | Ratio | Resolution and file | Length | Sound and captions | Safe zone and rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video ad, pre-roll | 16:9, progressive | ProRes in MOV recommended, H.264 in MP4 or MOV accepted (MOV not accepted on Amazon DSP); 1920 x 1080 recommended, 1280 x 720 and 3840 x 2160 accepted; SDR only, HDR not supported | 10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds | PCM recommended, stereo, 48 kHz; minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2, true peak no higher than minus 2 dBFS | Top-right corner kept clear for the ad timer and the outer 5 to 10 percent for overscan; letterbox in black only, never over 37 percent of the picture |
| Video ad, mid-roll | 16:9 | Same file rules; H.264 at least 12 Mbps or ProRes at least 80 Mbps recommended for 1080p | 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 75 seconds | Same audio spec | No advertiser QR codes or linkouts; Netflix overlays its own QR, so the bottom-right 25 to 30 percent stays clear |
| Pause ad | Still image, 6:5 minimum frame | PNG or JPEG, at least 1728 x 1440; 2592 x 2160 or higher recommended | Static, shown on pause | None; dark backgrounds only, white text contrast above 3:1 | Right 30 to 35 percent reserved for Netflix's QR and call to action panel; focal point slightly left of center; a URL without trackers |
| Live video ad (live events) | 16:9 | Standard video specs; some events add requirements; Extreme Reach recommended for direct delivery | 15 or 30 seconds by default | Same audio spec | Inserted directly into the live feed; tags and rotations not supported; safe zones vary by event |
| Every format | n/a | No pixels or cookies in the creative; VAST through CM360, Innovid or DSP tags; no VPAID or companion ads | n/a | Netflix may apply fades and other adjustments | No Netflix interface or intellectual property, nothing implying product placement; taglines up to 52 characters, 26 in Japanese or Korean |
- Netflix Ads, creative specs, read October 27, 2026
- Netflix Ads, set up and activate your Netflix campaign, read October 27, 2026
- Netflix, ads policy, read October 27, 2026
- Netflix, 2026 upfront, read October 27, 2026
- Netflix, closing the 2026 US upfront, read October 27, 2026
Netflix's specs page renders by script, so its text was read from the site's own content service, in Netflix's own words. Netflix publishes no ads-per-hour figure and no minimum spend; outside estimates of ad load disagree and are not quoted. The generic streaming rows live on the connected TV page and are not repeated here.
How we build an ad for it
Directed by people, made with AI, finished by hand. You approve the script and the sound before any footage is made.
Two ladders, cut in one edit
Pre-roll stops at thirty seconds; mid-roll runs to seventy-five. A sixty or seventy-five-second brand film is a mid-roll deliverable, and the thirty, twenty, fifteen and ten for pre-roll are planned in the same edit rather than trimmed later, each with its own ending.
The pause ad is lifted from the film
The recommended pause still is 2592 by 2160, a full-height crop from a 4K frame. We finish in 4K and compose one hero frame with the subject slightly left of center and the right third empty, where Netflix lays its QR code and call to action, with no light colors behind its gradient.
No QR code of ours
Netflix overlays its own generated QR code on video ads that use one and refuses advertiser codes. Our master carries none; QR-enabled cuts keep the bottom-right quarter clean and the top-right corner clear for the ad timer, and the call to action is spoken.
Graded for SDR
HDR is not supported, so the grade is a Rec. 709 SDR deliverable even when the show around it is HDR. Direct buys get a ProRes 422 HQ MOV; Amazon DSP buys get an H.264 MP4, since Netflix notes MOV is not accepted there.
Mixed for a fade we do not control
The mix sits at minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2 with true peaks at or below minus 2 dBFS, and Netflix reserves the right to apply fades. So nothing depends on a hard sting in the final frames, and the last line lands a beat before the end.
Nothing that looks like a Netflix show
Netflix refuses imagery that suggests integration or product placement, and any use of its interface or titles. No pastiche title cards, no red letter N, no series parody, even as a joke; a scope frame stays inside the 37 percent letterbox cap, and taglines are written to 52 characters.
Films that fit
Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.
What to order
A Netflix buy wants a mid-roll hero, a ladder of exact pre-roll lengths, a pause still and often language versions, which is the volume Scale ships.
30 seconds to tell the story and earn the click. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.
Launch on the pricing page8 unique ads every month. For brands shipping weekly across markets.
Scale on the pricing pageQuestions about Netflix ads
Can a Netflix ad carry our own QR code?
No. Netflix's creative specs say advertiser imagery may not include its own linkouts or QR codes; for video ads that use one, Netflix overlays a generated code. We keep the bottom-right corner clean for it and say the call to action aloud.
What is a Netflix pause ad?
A still image shown when a viewer pauses: PNG or JPEG, at least 1728 by 1440 and ideally 2592 by 2160, with the right 30 to 35 percent reserved for Netflix's QR code and call to action panel. We compose it from a 4K frame of the film.
Can a sixty-second ad run before a Netflix show starts?
No. Netflix pre-roll is ten, fifteen, twenty or thirty seconds; forty-five, sixty and seventy-five run only as mid-roll, and live events take fifteen and thirty by default. We plan both ladders in one edit.
Can a small business buy Netflix ads?
Not through a self-serve tool, because there is none. Netflix ads are bought through its sales team or programmatically through Display and Video 360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo or Amazon with a Netflix deal, and no minimum is published. We deliver the files; your agency or DSP trafficks them.
How long does Netflix take to approve an ad?
Netflix estimates 48 hours from upload with no fast track and asks for at least 72 hours of lead time; restricted categories can take up to five days, with certification filed at least five business days before launch. A VAST tag cannot be edited after approval.
Can a Netflix ad be delivered in HDR or 4K?
4K at 3840 by 2160 is accepted and 1080p is recommended, but everything must be SDR: Netflix does not support HDR. We grade an SDR master for Netflix even when other versions of the film are HDR.
Keep planning
Other screens, the craft behind the films, and the public prices.
Other channels
Craft and proof
Plan your ad
Filmito
Tell us the screen. We build the film.
Six short questions about your brand and where the ad will run. A person replies within one business day with the idea, the price and the date.
Since 2017 · 9,700+ films · 4.8 from 970+ reviews, every one readable