May 15 (Reuters) - Netflix ( NFLX ) said on Wednesday

its ad-supported tier has reached 40 million global monthly

active users, from 5 million a year earlier, a sign that its

push to attract new users with the cheaper plan is paying off.

The jump comes at a time when streaming companies are facing

stiff competition and introducing bundles with their rivals to

retain subscribers.

Netflix ( NFLX ), which launched the ad-supported plan in November

2022, said that 40% of all sign-ups come from those plans in the

countries where they are available.

In the fourth quarter, the majority of gross subscriber

additions for the streaming industry came from ad-supported

plans for the first time, data from research firm Antenna showed

earlier this week.

Netflix ( NFLX ) also said it will launch an in-house advertising

technology platform by the end of 2025.

Earlier on Wednesday, Netflix ( NFLX ) said it would stream two

National Football League games on Christmas Day this year,

doubling down on efforts to add more live programming to its

streaming service.