Bela Bajaria is available on Netflix.
The news comes just 24 hours after the streamer underwent a massive cut, laying off around 1,000 employees.
Bajaria joined the company, initially leading its unscripted television line, in 2016 and was named chief content officer in January 2023.
There have been rumors that she was fired by the company over the past couple of weeks, all of which were denied by Netflix. Former Disney executive Peter Rice replaced her.
This comes amid slowing growth for the streamer. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said recently at the Bloomberg Screentime event: “At the time we were saying that, I think we were pretty straightforward about how we talked about engagement. That means in this world, all revenue is equal, some profit is equal, all engagement is equal and not all engagement is equal. We’re increasing engagement, over 200 billion hours of viewing, we’re up 2% in our last announcement.”
Netflix has struggled with ratings for the second seasons of several of its shows, including Beef and The Four Seasons. In his latest earnings video, Sarandos claimed to have actually improved this problem this year and said it was “very common” in the industry. Such problems, however, could not help Bajaria’s cause.
“I want to thank Bela for a decade of dedication, innovation, creativity and leadership,” said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. “She led enormous changes at Netflix. She helped expand our content offerings to include the large-scale expansion of unscripted programming and the launch of live events and sports, in addition to creating and curating a global selection of world-class films and series. I am incredibly grateful for everything she has done to help Netflix entertain the world.”
Internal email from Ted Sarandos
Hello everyone,
I have an important update to share regarding our content leadership.
After a phenomenal decade at Netflix, Bela is leaving the company. It’s hard to overstate the impact Bela has had during her time here. From expanding our content offering to include the large-scale expansion of unscripted programming and the launch of live events and sports, to helping shape the expansion of our content offering around the world. Much of what you see on Netflix today goes back to a Bela initiative: Insatiable, Queer Eye, Lupine, You, The Diplomat, WWE, YuYu Hakusho, The Night Agent, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, Squid Game, Tyson vs Paul, Cien años de soledad, la NFL. She also helped reshape our strategy to focus on fewer, bigger and better films, championing films like KPop Demon Hunters, The Adventures of Cliff Booth and Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, as well as bringing award-winning films like La Bola Negra and Possible Love to Netflix.
A great and diverse range of content (and that’s just a snapshot), bringing joy to our members across many genres.
Bela has built and shaped a truly global content organization, hiring brilliant people and empowering them to make good decisions. I am incredibly grateful to her for everything she has done.
I know it’s a big change in a year that has already had its share. But I also see an opportunity to take our roster to the next level, especially at UCAN where we have an outsized impact by creating big, buzzy hits that our members love and spark conversations around the world.
To help us seize this moment, I’m excited to announce that we have hired a new leader. Peter Rice is joining Netflix as its new chief content officer starting next week. Peter is one of the most efficient large-scale operators in the entertainment industry. His business acumen is keen, his talent relationships are exceptionally strong, and his experience in both television and film is deep and broad. On the film side, while running Fox Searchlight, he helped bring fan favorites like Slumdog Millionaire, Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways and Juno to screens. And most recently, as chairman of Walt Disney Television, he led one of the most successful television divisions in the world, where he was responsible for a wide range of shows ranging from The Simpsons, American Idol and Modern Family to The Bear and Abbott Elementary, as well as programming for ABC News and major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup Finals. He is one of the few people in our industry who has operated with the quality and scale that we do every day at Netflix. In recent years, he has turned his attention to creating and producing films with Alex Garland, Danny Boyle, Chris Rock, Jason Reitman and Aaron Sorkin at Sony and A24.
I have gotten to know Peter personally over the years and have always been impressed by his direct approach, the depth of his relationships and his exceptional creative and business instincts. Talent should have the best experiences of their lives here, and Peter and I both believe Netflix can and should be the home of the world’s best storytellers.
It’s been a hectic few days here, and I realize we’ve asked you to absorb a lot of news and information. But we all know that change is what we do at Netflix. Greg and I will be hosting a company-wide town hall on Wednesday, October 21st. I want everyone to know how we feel about the strategy and our execution amid this week’s changes, and to have an opportunity to ask questions. This will be informal and mostly Q&A, so feel free to ask questions about this week’s changes and anything else that’s on your mind.
Please join me in thanking Bela and welcoming Peter to the team.
Ted
Gn entert
