CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, April 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Americans are becoming increasingly willing to make a trade-off that would have felt unthinkable just a few years ago: more ads in exchange for cheaper streaming.
The new research from subscription bundling platform, Bango (AIM: BGO), comes from the Subscription signals report, which surveyed 2,500 US consumers. The findings show that 36% of Americans would tolerate twice as many ads in streaming and subscription services if it lowered the monthly cost. Among younger viewers, that figure rises to 46% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Z.
The findings point to a more pragmatic subscription mindset, where viewers are looking for cheaper and simpler ways to stay subscribed, whether through ad-supported access, discounts, bundles or partnerships.
The research also suggests that aversion to adverts is declining as subscription costs keep rising. Americans now pay for an average of 5.2 subscriptions, costing $69 a month — or $830 a year. Against that backdrop, almost a quarter (23%) say they are spending more than they can afford on subscriptions, rising sharply to 41% among Gen Z.
The shift is particularly striking among subscribers to major streaming services. Willingness to accept more ads is highest among Apple TV users (52%), followed by Disney+ users (48%), HBO (Max) users (47%), Netflix users (44%), and Amazon Prime Video users (40%). These platform-specific stats raise fresh questions about perceived value, pricing tolerance and where subscribers feel most open to trade-offs.
Commenting on the findings, Giles Tongue, subscription expert at Bango, said: “For years, the assumption was that subscribers would always pay more to avoid adverts. But for a growing number of consumers, watching more ads is now an acceptable trade-off if it means keeping monthly costs down, especially among younger viewers.
“The data suggests that mindsets are changing, not just plan preferences. As budgets tighten, people are not only rethinking what they pay for, but how they access subscriptions in the first place. That could mean accepting ads, looking for discounts, or turning to bundles that make subscriptions easier to manage and better value.
“For consumers, this is about keeping the services they want in ways that feel more affordable and flexible. For streaming platforms and subscription providers, it means affordability and flexibility are becoming just as important as content itself. As people look for better value through bundles and partnerships, brands that make access worthwhile will be much harder to walk away from.”
To read the “Subscription signals” report in full, click here.
About Bango
Bango enables content providers to reach more paying customers through global partnerships. Bango revolutionized the monetization of digital content and services, by opening up online payments to mobile phone users worldwide. Today, the Digital Vending Machine® is driving the rapid growth of the subscriptions economy, powering choice and control for subscribers.
The world’s largest content providers, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft trust Bango technology to reach subscribers everywhere.
Bango, where people subscribe. For more information, visit http://www.bango.com
Methodology
The Subscription signals research was commissioned by Bango and conducted by an independent research agency. The research comes from a representative sample of 2,500 American consumers aged 18 and over, and was conducted in January 2026.
Media contact
Keaiana O’Riordan
bango@wildfirepr.com
