Ted Sarandos Addresses Netflix Content Exec Purge: 'I Know That We Could Do Better'
By Todd Spangler
NY Digital Editor
Todd Spangler
Netflix, looking to boost its viewing engagement as revenue growth cools off, made a major overhaul of its executive leadership overseeing content.
Last week, amid its layoff of 1,000 employees, Netflix ousted chief content officer Bela Bajaria and has tapped veteran TV exec Peter Rice to replace her. The company also let go head of film Dan Lin and his top lieutenant, Doug Belgrad, as well as director of original series Carolina Garcia.
On the streamer’s Q3 2026 earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos — who had previously led Netflix’s content operations for over 20 years — explained the decision to install a new team overseeing its programming lineup.
"I know that we could do better, and we want to build on that momentum," Sarandos said when asked about the leadership change on the content side.
He went on to praise Bajaria:
"Bela had an incredible decade-long run here. She put a lot of great hits on the board. She led the teams through a lot of expansions of new types of content. She also did the hard work of building this incredible international team, who’s been making local content around the world, which has become a great competitive differentiator for us over the last decade."
Sarandos noted that Rice, a former Disney and 21st Century Fox television exec, has been "overwhelmingly" welcomed by the industry and the creative community.
"He’s one of the really rare people in the industry who’s led TV networks, movie studios, streaming services. His creative instinct and his business acumen are remarkable. He’s really an at-scale quality and volume operator, and he does it across every imaginable form of entertainment."