Netflix Ad Policies & Supplemental Terms

To create and maintain a great experience for our members and advertisers, this Help Center outlines Netflix’s Advertising Policy. By advertising on Netflix, you agree that it is your responsibility for your ad content and practices to comply with this policy and any applicable sales terms. This policy may be updated from time to time at Netflix’s discretion.

The following are rules and expectations for your ad content and practices.

  • Ads must comply with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and industry self-regulatory guidelines. This includes your practices such as ad targeting.

  • Ads may not infringe on the rights of others, including copyright, trademark and other intellectual property or personal rights, or be defamatory.

  • Ads must be accurate, truthful, and not misleading.

    • Ads should be clearly identifiable as advertisements. They should not be presented as editorial content, news reports, emergency alerts, or otherwise.

    • As an advertiser, you must have substantiation for all express and implied claims in your ads. Upon request, you will provide the substantiation to Netflix.

    • No false endorsement, deepfakes, or similar deceptive practices.

  • Ads may not engage in or promote discrimination, including based on race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender, age, or any other protected category under applicable law.

  • Ads may not be contrary to good taste.

    • No ads that glorify or encourage criminal, unsafe, or inappropriate behavior; display excessive violence; are sexually explicit, overly suggestive, or contain nudity; have obscene or profane language or depictions; or are otherwise threatening, harassing, or harmful.

  • Ads may not include linkouts (e.g., clickable URLs or QR codes) unless approved by Netflix. The content of landing pages must also comply with this policy.

  • Ads may not suggest an unapproved affiliation with or use the Netflix name, brand or service; content on Netflix; and/or creative elements (e.g., talent, characters, titles, logos, marks, fonts, music or sonic ident).

  • You acknowledge that Netflix has the right to review, approve, reject, require edits to, and withdraw any ads on a case-by-case basis at its discretion.

Ads on Netflix must:

  • Show direct affiliation with the advertiser. Ad content must present a clear product, service, or brand.

  • Comply with Netflix Ads’ technical and media requirements, maintaining the theatrical quality expected by our members.

  • Present a high quality ad experience, including correct grammar and spelling, and language congruent to the target audience.

Ads must not:

  • Contain clickbait, exaggerated, sensationalized, coercive, or emotionally manipulative messaging.

  • Use unpleasant visual effects, including excessive flashing, strobing, or repetition.

  • Imply knowledge of member personal attributes.

  • Appeal primarily toward or target minors or children (as defined in relevant jurisdiction).

The following categories (advertisers and ads) are not accepted by Netflix.

  • Dangerous products, including but not limited to:

    • Guns, firearms, explosives, ammunition, weapons (including knives, collectables, and toys), fireworks, and related products or services

    • Recreational or illicit drugs and related products or services (with the exception of anti-drug campaigns approved by Netflix)

    • Cannabis, marijuana, CBD, THC and related products and services

  • Illegal products, services, and activities including, counterfeit goods, piracy, or forgery services and those owned and/or controlled by parties subject to sanctions.

  • Tobacco-related products (with the exception of anti-smoking campaigns approved by Netflix)

    • Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaporizers, vaping products, and related products and services

  • Political and issue advocacy

  • Religion and religious-themed ads

  • Sexually explicit products and services (e.g., escort services, pornography, sex toys or sites, “900” numbers or telephone services)

  • Speculative financial products

    • Get rich quick and pyramid schemes/financial scams

    • Credit repair products and services

    • Payday lending, bail bonds and similar services

  • Products and services that promote or enable dishonest behavior

The following categories will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account various factors such as programming, location, targeting, review of licensing where applicable, and other restrictions. Accordingly, the following may not be available in all markets and require prior approval from Netflix. Please refer to the Restricted Ad Categories Policy related article for detailed information.

  • Alcohol

  • Dating

  • Entertainment (Television, Film, Game trailers)

    • No streaming services and/or series, films, or media on other streaming services (identified with a call to action, tune in messaging, logo, etc.)

  • Financial Services

  • Insurance

  • Gambling

  • Healthcare

  • High Fat, Sugar, and Salt Foods and Beverages

  • Housing, Lending, and Employment

  • Governments

  • Nonprofits

Netflix’s Targeting and Personalized Advertising policies are designed to help advertisers reach relevant audiences and attract new customers (through Netflix predefined or advertiser curated-audiences), while maintaining Netflix members’ trust and positive advertising experience as they discover relevant products, services, and offers.

Targeting Netflix Predefined Audiences

Netflix offers a number of tools for advertisers to reach relevant audiences — such as location, UI language, content genres, and demographic information e.g., age and gender — with certain restrictions.

  • Advertisers promoting the following products and services may not use geographical and demographic targeting:

    • Credit and Lending

    • Employment

    • Housing

  • Advertisers promoting the following products and services may not target the Family Time Additional Genre:

    • Alcohol

    • Dating

    • Gambling

    • Mature film, television and video game trailers

    • Mature healthcare products and services

    • Sexually suggestive ad creatives

Please see the Restricted Ad Categories Policy for additional details and ad requirements.

Advertiser-Curated Audiences

When onboarding advertiser-curated audiences, advertisers must ensure:

  • Customer data and audience lists are compiled in compliance with all applicable laws, relevant regulations and self-regulatory codes and principles.

  • The collection of data includes a privacy policy with a disclosure that the advertiser may share customer data with third parties like Netflix for advertising and marketing purposes.

  • They have obtained consent for sharing customer data with third parties where required by law.

In addition, advertisers may not include information that identifies or relates to an individual’s sensitive interest or membership categories, including but not limited to:

  • Personal hardships, e.g.,

    • Negative financial status (e.g., debt, bankruptcy)

    • Status as the victim/survivor of abuse, trauma, domestic violence or other crimes

    • Relationship hardships (e.g., divorce, separation, bereavement)

  • Personal physical or mental health status or other information identifying or relating to an individual’s diagnosis, medical treatment, or payment for diagnosis or medical treatment, e.g.,

    • Sexual and reproductive health

    • Mental and psychological treatments and interventions

    • Chronic health conditions and conditions that require long-term care or management and treatments and procedures

    • Intimate personal hygiene

    • Disability

    • Genetics and biometric data

    • Inferences about an individual’s physical or mental health status based on non-health data

    • Consumer Health Data as defined under Washington My Health My Data Act

  • Identity, belief and affiliation, e.g.,

    • Race or ethnicity

    • Citizenship or immigration status

    • Religious beliefs

    • Sexual orientation

    • Political affiliation

    • Trade union membership

  • Criminal record

  • Precise location data collected from individuals without first obtaining the individuals’ explicit consent

  • Information related to minors and/or collected from a website or app directed to minors (as defined in relevant jurisdiction)

  • Any other personal data defined as sensitive pursuant to applicable law

In addition, advertisers promoting the following products and services may not onboard advertiser-curated audiences:

  • Alcohol

  • Dating

  • Gambling

  • Health-related audience segments are allowed from pre-approved data vendors only and subject to the conditions outlined above

Usage Policy

When using personalized advertising products on Netflix, advertisers must not:

  • Use available targeting features as proxies to target Netflix members based on protected characteristics and/or sensitive interest categories outlined above.

  • Exclude members from targeting on the basis of protected characteristics and/or sensitive categories outlined above.

  • Use audiences of a narrow size such that the recipients of the ad could be easily identified, such as layering audience segments with other targeting features, e.g., geography that may result in a relatively small group of members.

  • Attempt to target advertisements to minors, as defined by the applicable age in their jurisdiction.

  • Associate directly identifiable information (e.g., name or email address) with hashed data on or collected from a campaign on Netflix.

  • Attempt to reassociate any data provided by Netflix, including aggregated and de-identified data with any individual (whether or not identifiable).

  • Use data from Netflix campaigns to identify sensitive interest categories related to their customers.

  • Run ads that collect or contain personal information

  • Otherwise share Personally Identifiable Information (PII) about a consumer with Netflix in other contexts (including bid requests).

Last Updated: December 16, 2024