CNBC asked media insiders, including Peter Chernin, Barry Diller, Byron Allen, Bela Bajaria, Jeff Zucker and Bill Simmons, for their predictions about what TV will be like in three years. They also weighed in on which companies will dominate streaming and how big a role sports and gambling will play.
The streamer has been in the line of fire following the company’s major drop in valuation, leading to plenty of speculation about the future of Netflix and its content spend. “This year, we’re expected to spend $17 billion on content, that hasn’t changed in that way,” Bajaria told an audience at the Banff World Media Festival. Speaking at the conference, Bajaria admitted that “it has been noisy for sure.”
Netflix’s newly installed global head of TV, Bela Bajaria, is not just reshaping the leadership and structure of a key division, her new approach promises far more accountability about the kinds of shows being made by the streaming giant’s most prominent producers.
Following the exit of several top executives, Netflix’s head of global television, Bela Bajaria, has set her new global leadership team and overhauled the streaming service’s U.S. operations under her purview, creating a new overall team in the process.
It’s an end of an era at Netflix as Cindy Holland (left), who led the streamer’s foray into original programming and helped turn the DVD-by-mail company into an original series powerhouse, will be leaving. A month and a half after longtime Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos was named co-CEO, he is shaking up the streamer’s top TV executive ranks. Netflix’s vast original TV content portfolio had been split between Holland, VP, original content, who has overseen all English-language programming, and Bela Bajaria (right), VP, local language originals, who has been leading non-English TV programming. The two areas are now being combined under Bajaria, who has been named VP, global TV.
Exclusives
The news comes four months after the well-liked executive was ousted as president of Universal Television.
Bela Bajaria is leaving her post as president of Universal Television. Sources with knowledge of the situation tell Variety that Pearlena Igbokwe, NBC Entertainment’s EVP of drama development, is set to succeed Bajaria as the head of the studio.
Amid a shakeup of NBC’s comedy programming department, Bela Bajaria has been promoted to president of Universal Television while the studio’s comedy chief, Tracey Pakosta, shifts to NBC as EVP of comedy programming.
Universal Media Studios goes back to the future as Universal Television, which will be headed by Bela Bajaria. Also on board are Russell Rothberg, Erin Underhill, Tracey Pakosta and Beth Klein.
