During the Netflix earnings call on Thursday, co-CEO Ted Sarandos was irritated by a question about a recent article in The New York Times discussing the company's film lineup, especially following the departure of film chairman Scott Stuber and the appointment of Dan Lin.
“Just to clarify, we have no intention of reducing the number of films,” Sarandos stated. “However, we are always eager to improve the quality of the films. We have made and continue to make great films. Naturally, we aim to make them even better.”
It's factual that Netflix consistently produces outstanding films, such as “The Power of the Dog,” “The Irishman,” “Glass Onion,” “Roma” and “May December.” While these films have received numerous Oscar nominations, they have not yet won the coveted Best Picture award. Nevertheless, in line with the criticisms from many, there are also very costly, instantly forgettable films like “Red Notice” and “The Gray Man.” According to a recent report, Bela Bajaria, the chief content officer, has been brought on to improve the quality of films at Netflix.
Sarandos, however, seems excited about Lin's appointment.
“He recently joined and has hit the ground running. Bela has publicly stated that our approach remains centered on diversity and quality, and she is successfully introducing new, innovative ideas to our content and its organization,” Sarandos stated, referring to the restructuring of the film team with executives focusing on specific genres instead of specific budgets.
“Bringing Dan on board is a great example of that. We want to have a lot of movies. We want to delight our audiences, who all have different preferences, and we want all our films to be outstanding. Our definition of quality is very much centered on the audience,” Sarandos added.
“And Dan knows this from his experience as the CEO of Rideback. He was the producer of the Oscar-nominated film ‘The Two Popes’ and the recent ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ His understanding of Netflix and the audience is exceptional, and his success in live action and animation is difficult to match in this industry. We are thrilled that he is now with us.”
