This may have been a year of highs and lows for Netflix but Bela Bajaria continues to have a razor-sharp focus on making the “best shows.” The head of global TV at Netflix, who was president of Universal Television before this, says she continues to work on local, authentic storytelling. “Our most popular shows are the ones with authenticity and specificity,” she says. That is why the American streaming major is hiring creative teams locally.
The year gone by was tough but Bajaria oversaw some top-notch programming. Netflix had its biggest TV show ever, Squid Game, in 2021. It also became the most Emmy-winning network and Oscar winning movie studio.
But challenges remained. The company had to cut jobs as number of subscribers fell. There was tough competition from players like Disney+, Prime Video and HBO Max. The Indian market has also been a tough nut to crack. Netflix has about five million subscribers compared to Disney+ Hotstar’s 50 million and Amazon Prime Video’s 20 million. However, Bajaria says the Indian market continues to be exciting with its rich history of storytelling”. — Arnika Thakur