Peter Rice Named Netflix Chief Content Officer

Netflix today announced that Peter Rice, one of the entertainment industry’s most respected creative executives, will join the company as Chief Content Officer, effective October 26. He replaces Bela Bajaria, who is leaving Netflix after nearly 10 years, most recently leading the Company's global content team. 

“I want to thank Bela for a decade of dedication, innovation, creativity and leadership,” said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. “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.” 

As Chief Content Officer, Rice will lead Netflix’s global content organization, overseeing scripted and unscripted series, film, live events and more across all regions.

“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,” said Sarandos. “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.”

“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.”

Rice was most recently Chairman of Walt Disney Television and Chairman of General Entertainment for The Walt Disney Company. There ,he oversaw ABC, FOX Broadcasting, Fox Sports, ABC News, ABC Studios, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX Networks, Hulu, National Geographic, Onyx Collective, Disney Television and Twentieth Century Fox Television, with more than 300 shows and 4,000 hours of television a year. Programs under his leadership include The Simpsons, American Idol, Modern Family, This Is Us, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Shogun” and Only Murders in the Building, along with ABC News programming and major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup Finals. Disney earned 147 Primetime Emmy nominations in 2022 and 146 in 2021. He also chaired the boards of A&E Networks and National Geographic Partners.

Earlier, Rice was President of 21st Century Fox and CEO of Fox Networks Group, and Fox’s lead executive on the Hulu board. Before that, he was President of Fox Searchlight Pictures, releasing Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine and Sideways. As Executive Vice President of Production at Twentieth Century Fox, he worked with Baz Luhrmann on Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet and with Danny Boyle on The Beach, and he was supervising creative executive on the first “X-Men.” Rice graduated from the University of Nottingham in 1989 and serves on the boards of the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

About Netflix

Netflix is one of the world’s leading entertainment services, offering TV series, films, games and live programming across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.