Netflix replaces content chief Bajaria with Peter Rice
Netflix named former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice as chief content officer, effective Oct. 26, replacing Bela Bajaria after nearly 10 years. The change comes a day after the streamer cut about 1,000 jobs.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
Netflix said Thursday that Peter Rice will become chief content officer on Oct. 26, replacing Bela Bajaria, who is leaving after nearly 10 years. Rice will oversee the global content organization, including scripted and unscripted series, film and live events. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos thanked Bajaria for expanding unscripted shows and launching live events and sports, and called Rice "one of the most effective at-scale operators in the entertainment industry."
Why it matters
The change lands a day after Netflix cut about 1,000 jobs, roughly 6% of staff, its deepest round since 2022. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter say industry sources describe Bajaria's exit as an ouster amid slower engagement growth and a weak Emmy haul this year. Some people Variety spoke with called her a "scapegoat" for business-model pressure; Netflix's public statements do not say she was fired.
More context
Bajaria timeline: She joined Netflix in 2016 after leaving NBCUniversal's Universal Television, first to build unscripted programming and licensing. Variety says she rose to head of global TV in 2020 after Cindy Holland left, and became chief content officer in January 2023. Hits tied to her tenure in trade coverage include Bridgerton, Squid Game, Stranger Things and Wednesday, plus live sports deals with the NFL and WWE.
Who Rice is: Rice most recently chaired Walt Disney Television and Disney's general entertainment group, overseeing ABC, FX, Hulu and major sports and news programming before then-CEO Bob Chapek ousted him in 2022. Earlier he ran Fox Searchlight (Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine) and Fox Networks Group. Since Disney he has produced films and, Deadline notes, headed ceremonies and content for the LA28 Olympics — a role expected to end as he starts at Netflix. Deadline also notes he has deep film and TV experience but little streaming tenure.
How outlets framed it: Netflix's release and Sarandos's staff memo stress gratitude and a chance to lift the U.S. and Canada slate. Variety's analysis piece leans on anonymous Hollywood sources who see content leadership taking the blame for slower growth. THR ties the move to Reed Hastings's long-standing "sports team, not a family" culture of personnel changes. CNBC notes Netflix shares are down more than 20% this year and were little changed in extended trading Thursday.
What's next / still unknown: Netflix reports third-quarter results on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Sarandos scheduled a companywide town hall for Wednesday, Oct. 21. Variety says observers are watching whether U.S./Canada scripted head Jinny Howe and film lead Dan Lin remain. Rice has not detailed a slate plan in the announcement.
6 listed sources
- Netflix (About Netflix), Oct. 15, 2026
- Variety (Rebecca Rubin), Oct. 15, 2026
- Variety (Matt Donnelly, Michael Schneider), Oct. 15, 2026
- Deadline (Peter White), Oct. 15, 2026
- The Hollywood Reporter (Alex Weprin, Aaron Couch), Oct. 15, 2026
- CNBC (Laya Neelakandan), Oct. 15, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Netflix's Oct. 15 announcement frames Bajaria as "leaving"; Variety, Deadline and THR report industry sources describing an ouster. Anonymous "scapegoat" characterizations are attributed to Variety's sourcing, not confirmed by Netflix. No Commons photos of Bajaria or Rice were available; hero is a 2018 file image of the Los Gatos campus.
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