Netflix Inc.’s revelation that it will introduce commercials was met with a mix of shock, cheers and skepticism from an advertising community that’s been shut out of the streaming service up to now.
“I thought, there’s no way it’s going to happen,” said Brian Wieser, global president of business intelligence at GroupM, a WPP Plc company whose clients include Ford Motor Co., Google and Unilever Plc. “It’s such a 180 from what they stood for.”
