Ted Sarandos Admits Netflix Is "Not Growing as Fast as I Want Us To"

Key Points:

• Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos acknowledged slowed growth in engagement, with viewership increasing just 2% in the first half of 2026, and emphasized efforts to accelerate this growth.
• Netflix is investing about 5% of its $20 billion annual content budget in live programming, such as NFL games, which drives signups and reduces subscriber churn despite generating only about 1% of total viewership.
• Sarandos expressed confidence in Netflix's strategy after losing the Warner Bros. Discovery merger to the $111 billion Paramount-Skydance deal, noting the company avoided overpaying and remains focused on shareholder value.
• While Netflix is engaging with some YouTube creators for professionally produced content, Sarandos clarified the company is not entering the user-generated content space or planning a free, ad-supported tier that could undermine its core subscription model.
• The impact of the Paramount-WBD merger on the streaming market remains uncertain, with Sarandos suggesting the combined entity's market share might not be straightforwardly additive.