Theodore Sarandos
Analyst · MoffettNathanson
Competition is not new for Netflix, Inc. Consumers have always had incredible choices in entertainment, and we have continued to grow by offering enormous value. Great projects are immensely competitive, and those are the projects we want. We have been pleased that Bela and the content team have been able to land some of the most competitive projects recently—Strangers with Gwyneth Paltrow attached to star, based on the New York Times bestselling book; Rabbit Rabbit with Adam Driver, directed by Philip Barantini, who directed Adolescents for us—both incredibly competitive projects we were able to land. It is not just about paying the most. Relationships matter, particularly when there are many competitive choices. Providing a great experience for creators, delivering a big audience, and generating buzz are what we do. We are seeing a lot of repeat business, the ultimate sign we are doing our job well. Today, Beef Season 2 starts. The show’s creator, Sunny Lee, did the first season, which was the most honored limited series of the year when it came out two years ago—45 individual awards—and it was a hit worldwide. We just did an overall deal with Sunny; he will be creating for Netflix, Inc. for years. The cast—Oscar Isaac, recently in Frankenstein and Golden Globe–nominated; he has another film this year and another project we just greenlit; Carey Mulligan, who has done multiple projects for Netflix, Inc., including her Oscar-nominated performance in Maestro; she is in Narnia coming up later this year, she was in Mudbound and The Dig; Charles Melton, a Golden Globe nominee for May; Cailee Spaeny, who was just in Wake Up Deadman—the whole cast is Netflix, Inc. family. Running Point comes out next week, another new hit series with Mindy Kaling; we love the relationship. It is not just in the United States. Álex Pina, who created La Casa de Papel, has done multiple projects since, including one he is working on now. If repeat business is a sign of success, I am excited about what we are doing. We also think about competition in terms of those we are competing for projects and members with—and those we are customers of. Running Point is produced by Warner Brothers for us. We license shows like Watson and Mayor of Kingstown from Paramount. We have a Pay-1 deal with Sony; we have one with NBCUniversal that includes DreamWorks Animation and Illumination. Our investment in those films, co-productions, and licensing feeds the entire movie ecosystem around the world. While it is a little unusual to be both customer and competitor, it is not unusual in entertainment, and we manage those relationships well.