Netflix says Bela Bajaria will leave as Peter Rice becomes content chief

Netflix says Bela Bajaria will leave the company and Peter Rice will become its chief content officer on Oct. 26. For Netflix investors, the Netflix Bela Bajaria leaving announcement puts a new executive in charge of the company’s worldwide programming group, covering television, films and live events.

Rice is a former Disney and Fox executive. Netflix said he will lead its global content organization, including scripted and unscripted series, film and live programming. The company announced the leadership change Oct. 15.

When does Peter Rice start as Netflix chief content officer?

Rice’s appointment takes effect Oct. 26, according to Netflix. He previously oversaw Disney’s cable channels, news programming and major live-sports coverage. Earlier in his career, he held roles at 21st Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures, CNBC reported.

The chief content officer role will give Rice oversight of the teams responsible for Netflix’s global slate of series, films and live events. Netflix has been expanding that offering beyond traditional on-demand shows and movies to include live programming, podcasts and games, according to its investor materials.

In a statement reported by CNBC, co-CEO Ted Sarandos called Rice an effective operator in entertainment and said Netflix was pleased to bring him in as content chief. Rice said he was looking forward to working with the company’s team on programming for members worldwide.

Bajaria’s decade at Netflix

Bajaria joined Netflix in 2016, after serving as president of Universal Television at NBCUniversal, Variety reported. She initially helped build Netflix’s unscripted division and worked on licensing and studio co-productions. She became head of global content in 2020 and was named chief content officer in January 2023.

Sarandos credited Bajaria in a statement with helping broaden Netflix’s programming, including the expansion of unscripted content and the introduction of live events and sports. Those are Netflix management’s assessments of her tenure.

The leadership announcement came a day after Netflix eliminated about 1,000 jobs, roughly 6% of its workforce, according to CNBC and Variety. The company has not established in the supplied announcement that the layoffs caused Bajaria’s departure or that Rice will change Netflix’s content strategy.

What business does Rice inherit?

Netflix’s latest shareholder letter, issued for the second quarter, reported $12.6 billion in revenue, up 13% from a year earlier, and a 33.4% operating margin. It also said members watched more than 97 billion hours in the first half of 2026, a 2% year-over-year increase.

Netflix said live programming was expected to account for just over 5% of its 2026 content spending and about 1% of viewing hours. The company also said live events accounted for six of its 10 biggest new-member sign-up days over the prior five years. Those figures describe Netflix’s stated operating context before Rice starts, rather than a projection of what his appointment will produce.

Netflix’s third-quarter earnings interview was scheduled for Oct. 20, six days before Rice is due to take over the content role.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.