The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, July 18, edition that Netflix added an estimated 4.82 million subscribers in the second quarter, the lowest additions since the first quarter of 2023 and about half the 9.3 million it added in the previous three months. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that Netflix's efforts to sell a lower-priced ad-supported tier have yielded strong ad-revenue growth. Its ad revenue is expected to have more than doubled in the June quarter. Overall revenue likely rose 16.4 per cent to $9.53-billion (U.S.), marking the fastest growth since the second quarter of 2021. When Netflix reports second quarter results, investors will scrutinize the streaming giant's efforts to expand its lower-priced plan with advertising and look for updates on new growth drivers. In May, Netflix said its ad-supported tier reached 40 million monthly active users across the globe and accounted for 40 per cent of all sign-ups in the countries it was available, up from 23 million in January. This push has resonated with investors. For the year, Netflix's stock is up nearly 35 per cent, compared with a return of about 19 per cent on the S&P 500 index. Netflix viewership drops in the summer as people travel.