Netflix Hires Peter Rice as CCO, Ousts Bajaria — SkimNews
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- Peter Rice is Netflix's new chief content officer, replacing Bela Bajaria — a hire that came just days after Rice had been telling friends he had no interest in returning to an executive role, suggesting co-CEO Ted Sarandos moved fast once he knew Rice was available.
- Bajaria learned of her ouster when she cornered Sarandos at a Wednesday evening screening for the Season 3 premiere of "Nobody Wants This" in L.A. and asked him point-blank about the rumors, prompting Sarandos to break the news on the spot.
- Netflix implemented its largest-ever layoffs — about 1,000 positions, or 6% of its workforce — on Tuesday and Wednesday, with staffers already on edge when the Rice announcement followed on Thursday afternoon.
- Hollywood agents cited the "brusque" treatment of Bajaria as evidence that Netflix now operates by "Silicon Valley rules" rather than traditional studio decorum, with one prominent agent calling it "shameful."
- Dan Lin, Netflix's film head, is rumored to be on his way out, with Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy floated as replacements just as the streamer prepares to release Greta Gerwig's "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" theatrically in February.
- Jinny Howe, Netflix's U.S. and Canada scripted head since August 2025, is reportedly safe in her role and "they want her to stay," despite whispers the streamer has struggled to produce another "Stranger Things"-caliber megahit.
- The upheaval has reignited speculation about NBCUniversal as a Netflix acquisition target, since Comcast plans to spin out the company next year, making it a much more manageable acquisition than Comcast as a whole.
Why it matters: Bajaria's ouster removes Netflix's most prominent global content champion, and Rice's first-memo emphasis on the 'UCAN' market signals a potential pullback from the aggressive local-language strategy. The 1,000-person layoff plus an Oct. 20 earnings report make NBCUniversal — being spun out of Comcast next year — the most talked-about acquisition target in the streaming wars.
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