Picture: Sony Pictures
For the past few years, subscribers on Netflix’s advertising tier have been unable to watch first-window Sony movies or older titles from the studio’s vast library. However, thanks to a newly announced global deal, What’s on Netflix has learned that this blockade will finally begin to lift.
As we’ve covered since the rollout of Netflix’s ad tier, Sony Pictures has been the primary holdout in allowing its content to be streamed with ads. The reason for the exclusion comes down to complicated licensing agreements that are often negotiated well in advance and must take pre-existing deals into account. While there has never been a definitive public reason why Sony Pictures movies couldn’t be included on the ad tier, that is soon set to change.
In case you missed it, Netflix and Sony Pictures announced yesterday an extension of their first-window deal in the United States, alongside news that the partnership will expand globally in the coming years. The new deal begins in 2027 and will run for five years through 2032. Essentially, this means all theatrically released Sony Pictures movies—such as the upcoming Spider-Man films—will stream on Netflix approximately four months after their theatrical release. They will then remain on the service for 18 months.
Crucially, What’s on Netflix has learned that ad-tier inclusion will apply to newly released Sony Pictures movies beginning in 2027. This means any remaining releases arriving throughout 2026, such as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, will likely remain excluded from the ad plan.
Once these Sony Pictures movies become available on the advertising tier, it will significantly reduce the number of blocked titles, which currently stand at 142 (roughly 1.8% of Netflix’s overall library). While this figure shifts from week to week, we estimate that the number of blocked titles will eventually be cut in half, leaving mostly Universal TV shows, select AMC series, and a handful of others as the remaining holdouts. Undoubtedly, the long-term goal is to reach total parity between the ad-supported and premium libraries.
We’ll have more coverage of the Sony Pictures movies coming to Netflix throughout 2026 and beyond, so stay tuned.
