Netflix has joined the Video Futures Collective (VFC), a think tank formed to advance the commercial growth of streaming video in Australia.
The addition of the global streaming giant brings further scale and influence to a group that now represents many of the country’s most prominent digital video players.
With Netflix now on board, the VFC’s membership includes Amazon Advertising, Disney Advertising, Foxtel Media, Samsung Ads, SBS, Vevo and YouTube, together spanning a significant share of Australia’s connected TV and digital video audience.
Uniting streamers to shape the future of premium video
Formed to champion the role of video streaming in the media mix, the VFC focuses on driving research, education, and advocacy around connected TV (CTV) and digital video advertising.
It aims to bring together publishers, agencies, and advertisers to improve industry understanding, standardisation, and sustainable growth.
Toby Dewar, a member of the VFC steering committee and Director of Customer Engagement at Foxtel Media, described the move as a pivotal moment for the group.
“The addition of Netflix Ads to the VFC’s ranks is a landmark moment that reinforces our collective reach across the vast majority of Australian streaming audiences,” Dewar said.
“With Netflix Ads now at the table, that vision is stronger than ever, and we are excited to see how our collective collaboration drives the category forward.”
Netflix signals greater commitment to industry collaboration
For Netflix Ads, the move represents a formal entry into Australian industry conversations around ad-supported streaming models. It also provides a new forum to collaborate with media buyers, broadcasters, and other streaming platforms.
“Netflix joining the VFC marks a significant next step for our Ads business in Australia,” said Heidi Monro, Senior Manager of Advertising Sales at Netflix ANZ.
“VFC serves as a crucial forum for dialogue and partnership amongst streamers, broadcasters, advertisers, and publishers, enhancing industry practices and measurement techniques, and we’re excited to play our part.”
Netflix will now participate in VFC-led research, education and advocacy work, helping shape emerging best practices in the local digital video landscape.
This latest move comes just weeks after Netflix joined OzTAM’s audience measurement ecosystem.
The announcement making Netflix the first global subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platform to have its local viewership independently measured and reported by the country’s official television ratings provider.
Shared research to unlock commercial value of streaming
A key focus for the VFC is collaborative research to help quantify the commercial contribution of streaming platforms and address long-standing questions around measurement and effectiveness.
Among the current projects under way:
• A study investigating how video streaming contributes to brand outcomes, with a focus on cross-platform impact.
• The largest-ever Australian research initiative into the role of attention and context in streaming environments, exploring how premium content and low-clutter settings may enhance ad performance.
These efforts are designed to inform future buying strategies, support clearer definitions and naming conventions across platforms, and help agencies and marketers make more informed decisions about where and how to invest.