Netflix Never Turned Down Ads But Right Now Feels Not Needed

JAKARTA - A senior Netflix Inc executive said on Tuesday, March 8 that the company has no plans, at this point, to offer streaming options that include ads. But they refuse to rule it out in the future.

"Never say never," said CFO Spencer Neumann when asked if the company would change its longstanding position that its services should remain ad-free. He also added that it was not something in their current plans.

Some Wall Street analysts have urged Netflix, the world's largest streaming service, to develop lower fees by showing ads to increase their revenue. The company's pace of new subscribers has slowed in recent quarters, and Netflix's stock has fallen nearly 43% this year.

Walt Disney Co last Friday also announced it would offer an ad-supported streaming option for Disney+, joining AT&T, WarnerMedia, Comcast Corp and others in trying to entice subscribers who are willing to watch ads to avoid having to pay monthly fees.

"We don't have a 'religion' against advertising," Neumann said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.

But he said the company is focused on building its current business for customers who want to watch movies and TV shows without ads. "We think we have a great model, a subscription business that scales very well globally," Neumann said.

"It's hard for us to ignore that other people are doing it, but at the moment it doesn't make sense to us," he added.

Neumann also said Netflix views this year as a "learning year" for its venture into mobile gaming. The company has offered 14 games to customers so far.

"This is something I hope to be a big part of our business in a decade," he said. "This is not going to be a big part of our business in the next 12 months."