Ted Sarandos

Ted Sarandos
Born	Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. 30 7, 1964
Birthplace	Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Media executive
Title	Co-chief executive officer of Netflix
Known for	Building Netflix's original content strategy; co-CEO of Netflix
Spouse(s)	Nicole Avant

Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. (born July 30, 1964) is an American media executive who serves as the co-chief executive officer of Netflix, the world's largest subscription streaming service. Sarandos joined Netflix in 2000 as its chief content officer and spent two decades shaping the company's transformation from a DVD-by-mail rental service into a global entertainment powerhouse that produces and distributes original films and television series. He was elevated to co-CEO alongside co-founder Reed Hastings in July 2020, and assumed a more prominent leadership role after Hastings transitioned to executive chairman in January 2023. A self-described student of the entertainment industry who spent his early career working in video stores, Sarandos brought a data-informed but creatively ambitious approach to content acquisition and production that fundamentally altered how audiences consume television and film. As of February 2026, Sarandos has led Netflix's ambitious bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal valued at approximately $83 billion, a move he has characterized as aimed at acquiring assets Netflix does not currently possess.

Early Life

Ted Sarandos was born on July 30, 1964, in Long Branch, New Jersey, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He was raised in a large family; accounts describe a working-class upbringing that instilled in him a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for popular entertainment. As a young man, Sarandos developed an extensive knowledge of film and television, a foundation that would later prove central to his career in the entertainment industry.

Sarandos's formative professional experience came from working in video rental stores during the late 1980s, a period when the home video market was experiencing rapid growth. Working in video stores gave Sarandos a ground-level understanding of consumer preferences, viewing habits, and the economics of content distribution. He has spoken publicly about how the experience of recommending films to customers and observing which titles were rented most frequently shaped his intuitive grasp of audience behavior — a skill he would later combine with Netflix's data analytics capabilities to revolutionize content strategy.

His time in the home video industry also exposed Sarandos to the business relationships between studios, distributors, and retailers, giving him an understanding of the licensing and distribution deals that would become central to his role at Netflix. Before joining Netflix, Sarandos held positions in video distribution, including a role at a video distribution company where he gained experience in content acquisition, supply chain logistics, and the mechanics of delivering entertainment to consumers at scale.

Career

Early Career in Home Video

Sarandos began his career in the entertainment industry in 1988, working in the home video distribution business during the era when VHS tapes were the dominant medium for home viewing. His roles in video distribution gave him an intimate understanding of how content moved from studios to consumers, including the economics of licensing, wholesale pricing, and retail demand. This period of his career coincided with the emergence of the home video rental market as a major revenue stream for Hollywood studios, and Sarandos developed expertise in negotiating content deals and managing large catalogs of titles.

Before joining Netflix, Sarandos worked at several companies in the video distribution space, where he honed his skills in content acquisition and built relationships across the entertainment industry. His background in the physical media business provided him with a pragmatic, distribution-focused perspective that complemented the technology-driven approach of Netflix's founders.

Netflix: Chief Content Officer (2000–2020)

Sarandos joined Netflix in 2000 as chief content officer, a role in which he oversaw all content acquisition and, eventually, original programming. At the time of his arrival, Netflix was a relatively small DVD-by-mail rental service competing against established brick-and-mortar chains such as Blockbuster Video. Sarandos was responsible for building and managing Netflix's DVD library, negotiating licensing agreements with studios, and developing the content strategy that would support the company's growth.

As Netflix transitioned from physical media to digital streaming in the late 2000s, Sarandos played a central role in securing the streaming rights to television series and films from major studios. This period required extensive negotiations with content owners who were initially skeptical of the streaming model and its potential impact on traditional revenue streams. Sarandos's relationships within the industry, combined with Netflix's growing subscriber base, enabled the company to assemble a streaming library that attracted millions of users.

A defining moment in Sarandos's tenure came with Netflix's decision to invest in original content. Under his leadership, Netflix launched its first major original series, House of Cards, in 2013, followed by Orange Is the New Black the same year. The decision to release all episodes of a series simultaneously — a practice that became known as "binge-watching" — represented a departure from the traditional weekly broadcast model and changed audience expectations around how television content was consumed.

Sarandos's approach to content was informed by Netflix's sophisticated data analytics capabilities, which allowed the company to identify audience preferences and predict the potential success of programming investments. The company's use of viewing data to inform greenlighting decisions was the subject of significant media attention and industry debate. A 2014 article in The New Yorker examined the interplay between data and creative decision-making at Netflix, noting the tension between algorithmic insights and traditional Hollywood instincts about what makes compelling content. Another New Yorker article examined whether Netflix's data-driven approach constituted a genuine innovation in content selection or represented an overstated marketing narrative.

Under Sarandos's content leadership, Netflix expanded rapidly into original programming across multiple genres and formats, including dramatic series, comedies, documentaries, stand-up specials, and feature films. The company also pursued an aggressive international expansion strategy, both licensing content from around the world and producing original programming in dozens of countries. Sarandos oversaw the development of Netflix into one of the world's largest commissioners of documentary content, a genre that benefited from the platform's ability to connect niche programming with targeted audiences globally.

Sarandos spoke publicly about Netflix's programming budget growing substantially year over year. In a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he discussed the company's approach to content spending, noting that Netflix viewed its programming investments as essential to subscriber growth and retention.

A 2013 article in The New Republic analyzed the implications of Netflix's content strategy for mass culture, exploring whether the company's algorithmic approach to content and its emphasis on personalized recommendations were fragmenting the shared cultural experiences that broadcast television had traditionally provided.

Co-CEO of Netflix (2020–present)

In July 2020, Sarandos was promoted from chief content officer to co-chief executive officer of Netflix, sharing the role with co-founder Reed Hastings. The promotion formalized Sarandos's role as one of the two most senior leaders of the company and reflected the central importance of content strategy to Netflix's business model. When Hastings stepped back to the role of executive chairman in January 2023, Sarandos became co-CEO alongside Greg Peters, who had served as the company's chief operating officer.

As co-CEO, Sarandos has continued to oversee Netflix's content operations while also taking on broader corporate leadership responsibilities, including investor relations, strategic planning, and corporate governance. Under his leadership, Netflix navigated the intensely competitive streaming landscape of the early 2020s, during which virtually every major media company launched its own streaming platform. Despite increased competition, Netflix maintained its position as the largest global streaming service by subscriber count.

Warner Bros. Discovery Acquisition Bid (2026)

In early 2026, Netflix under Sarandos's leadership launched an approximately $83 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, one of the largest proposed media transactions in history. The bid placed Netflix in competition with Paramount Global, which was also pursuing Warner Bros. Discovery assets as a deadline for offers approached.

In February 2026, Sarandos traveled to London, where he publicly defended Netflix's offer. Speaking ahead of the BAFTA Film Awards, Sarandos argued that Netflix's bid was superior because the company was "buying assets we don't currently have," suggesting that the acquisition would be more beneficial for industry growth than a rival bid from Paramount. He characterized the deal as a business transaction intended to strengthen Netflix's content library and production capabilities through the addition of Warner Bros.' extensive film and television catalog, studio infrastructure, and intellectual property portfolio.

The bid became the subject of political controversy when U.S. President Donald Trump publicly demanded that Netflix remove former national security adviser Susan Rice from its board of directors as a condition of the deal receiving regulatory approval. Sarandos dismissed the demand, stating, "This is a business deal, not a political deal." In multiple interviews, Sarandos reiterated that the composition of Netflix's board was a matter for the company and its shareholders, not a subject for political intervention.

Personal Life

Ted Sarandos is married to Nicole Avant, an American film producer, philanthropist, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas during the Obama administration. The couple is based in Los Angeles, California.

Sarandos has been involved in philanthropic and cultural organizations. He has served on the board of Exploring the Arts, a nonprofit organization that supports arts education in public high schools. He has also been affiliated with the Aspen Institute's Aspen Global Leadership Network.

In 2013, Sarandos purchased a home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles that had previously been owned by David Geffen.

Sarandos has been recognized within the Jewish and interfaith communities for his civic engagement. He was honored at a Persian New Year event covered by the Jewish Journal, and was included on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of influential figures in the Hollywood community.

Recognition

Ted Sarandos has been a frequent presence on annual lists of the most influential figures in entertainment and media. His role in shaping Netflix's content strategy and overseeing the company's transition to original programming has drawn significant attention from industry publications and mainstream media alike.

Los Angeles Magazine profiled Sarandos as part of its "Big Shots" series, highlighting his influence on the entertainment industry. The Hollywood Reporter has included him in multiple annual power rankings and feature profiles, recognizing his role in the transformation of television distribution and production.

The New York Times profiled Sarandos in 2013 in connection with Netflix's entry into original programming, examining how his background in home video distribution informed the company's approach to content. His data-informed approach to content commissioning was the subject of analysis in The New Yorker and Wired, among other publications.

Sarandos has been a featured speaker at industry conferences and events, discussing topics related to the future of entertainment, the role of technology in content distribution, and the economics of streaming. His public appearances have included discussions at events associated with the Aspen Institute and other organizations focused on leadership and innovation.

Legacy

Ted Sarandos's career at Netflix has coincided with and contributed to a fundamental restructuring of the global entertainment industry. His role in developing Netflix's original content strategy — beginning with the company's first original series in 2013 and expanding to encompass thousands of titles across dozens of countries — helped establish streaming as the dominant mode of content distribution in the 21st century.

The decision to release entire seasons of television series at once, which Sarandos championed as chief content officer, introduced the concept of binge-watching into mainstream culture and prompted competing networks and platforms to reconsider their own release strategies. Netflix's willingness to invest heavily in content from international markets, including non-English-language programming, expanded the global audience for foreign-language entertainment in ways that traditional theatrical and broadcast distribution had not achieved.

Sarandos's use of data analytics to inform content decisions represented a shift in how entertainment companies approached programming. While the extent to which algorithms drive creative decisions at Netflix has been debated — with analyses in The New Yorker and other publications examining the tension between data and creative instinct — the company's approach influenced how other media companies thought about audience measurement and content investment.

His elevation to co-CEO in 2020, and his continued leadership of the company as it pursued major acquisitions in 2026, positioned Sarandos as one of the central figures in the ongoing consolidation and transformation of the media industry. The proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, if completed, would represent one of the largest media mergers in history and would further reshape the competitive landscape of global entertainment.