Netflix has confirmed that Peter Rice will replace Bela Bajaria as its new Chief Content Officer.
Rice’s links to the region come as he sits on the Edinburgh International Film Festival Board and he worked with Danny Boyle on The Beach and Slumdog Millionaire.
He joins Netflix with a long CV in television, he was most recently Chairman of Walt Disney Television and Chairman of General Entertainment for The Walt Disney Company. Here he oversaw channels across the ABC, Fox, Disney, FX, Hulu and National Geographic brands – more than 300 shows and 4,000 hours of television from The Simpsons to FIFA World Cup Finals.
Prior to this he was President of 21st Century Fox and CEO of Fox Networks Group, and Fox’s lead executive on the Hulu board.
He’s also been President of Fox Searchlight Pictures, releasing Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine and Sideways.
The University of Nottingham graduate worked with Baz Luhrmann on Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet and with Danny Boyle on The Beach.
However, he’s not been in a senior executive role since he was ousted by Disney in 2022, in a move which at the time “shocked” Hollywood, as he had been viewed as a potential future CEO of Disney.
“Netflix has fundamentally changed the way stories are made, shared and experienced around the world,” said Rice.
“They’ve shown again and again that they’re willing to take chances on distinctive voices and fresh ideas, and I’m excited to work with the team to help bring even more great stories to members everywhere. I’m grateful to Bela for building such a remarkable global team, and I look forward to building on everything she and the team have created.”
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix said of the appointment:
“Peter is one of the most effective at-scale operators in the entertainment industry. His business acumen is sharp, his talent relationships are exceptionally strong, and his experience across TV and film is deep and broad.
“He understands what makes stories resonate, and he’s spent his career helping talent do the best work of their lives. I’m excited to welcome him to Netflix as Chief Content Officer as we continue to scale and deliver members more of the stories they love.”
He joins on October 26, with Bela Bajaria leaving Netflix after nearly 10 years. That Barjaria was going was long-rumoured, but her departure was announced as Netflix revealed yesterday that it was cutting 1000 jobs worldwide, around 6% of its workforce
“I want to thank Bela for a decade of dedication, innovation, creativity and leadership,” continued Sarandos.
“She led enormous changes at Netflix. She helped broaden our content offering to include the large-scale expansion of unscripted programming and the launches of live events and sports, in addition to crafting and running a world-class, global slate of films and series. I’m incredibly grateful for everything she’s done to help Netflix entertain the world.”
