Co-founder Reed Hastings is out at Netflix
It will be interesting to see how Reed Hastings fits into TV history. He is at the upper tier of people who have shaped and reshaped television. From technical innovators like Philo Farnsworth and John Logie Baird, through to creative innovators like Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz, Gene Roddenberry, and Steven Bochco, and TV executives like William S Paley, Sylvester Weaver, Ted Turner, and Brandon Tartikoff, there are cases to be made for the brightest and most influential names in TV.
But there’s probably a case for Reed Hastings as the person who had the greatest impact of all on television. History is yet to be clear on that, but it is very difficult to argue the wide-ranging global impact that his streaming platform Netflix has had on the medium. It upended production, distribution, and consumption at a global scale.
Reed Hastings hasn’t died. This isn’t an obituary. But Netflix did today announce that he is leaving the company after a 29 year-run with the business. He will finish with the business in June, stepping down as Chairman of the company;s board. Netflix says he won’t stand for re-election to the board so he can instead focus on philanthropy and other pursuits.
(A June finish would also time well if Hastings wanted to make a high profile rich guy run at the 2028 Presidency… just a thought…)
He remains on the boards of Bloomberg and Anthropic.
In a statement issued by Netflix, Hastings was quoted: “Netflix changed my life in so many ways, and my all‑time favorite memory was January 2016, when we enabled nearly the entire planet to enjoy our service.”
Netflix has denied the suggestion that Hastings exit is related to the terminated bid for Warner Bros. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on today’s Netflix earnings call:
“Sorry for anyone who is looking for some palace intrigue here, not so,” the co-CEO laughed on the streamer’s latest earnings call Thursday.
“Reed was a big champion for that deal,” Sarandos added, pulling back the curtain a bit on the Netflix’s co-founder’s POV on the $89 billon bid the company made late last year for WB’s streaming and studio assets. “He championed it with the board. The board unanimously supported the deal.”
Read more: Wall Street Journal
The Pitt vs ER quiz
If you like ER and The Pitt, this short quiz over at Australia’s ABC is pretty fun.
But, in typical ‘Dan gets annoyed at pop culture coverage over at the ABC’ fashion, three things annoyed me about the CTA at the end of the quiz:
A program doesn’t “air” on a streaming service. And no, the language hasn’t evolved to make that acceptable now.
Why is the ABC promoting the season finale of The Pitt? Just say “Australians can watch The Pitt on HBO Max.” Tidy and factual.
I get very frustrated at anyone referring to a full season collection as a “box set” outside of those selling a physical media product. Plus, when was the last time anyone bought a box set? It feels like a term we started saying goodbye to around a decade ago.
News Desk
Netflix is set to relaunch its mobile app later this month, with vertical video to be introduced. Read: CNet
Law & Order: SVU has been renewed at NBC for season 28. There’s still no word on a renewal yet for the OG Law & Order, which is understood to have a better chance at return than The Hunting Party or Brilliant Minds. Read: Deadline
Law & Order: Organized Crime has been cancelled after five seasons on NBC & Peacock. Read: THR
TV home shopping isn’t what it once was. QVC Group, the parent company the home shopping TV brands HSN and QVC, will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Read: THR
Brian Williams is set to host interview show We're Back! With Brian Williams, an original video podcast for Netflix. Read: THR
Episode four of The Testaments reportedly grew its audience by 20%, premiering on Hulu’s Top 15 shows for the day. “Top 15” sounds a bit weird to brag about… Read: Deadline
Long-running video project 7 Up will conclude later this year on ITV with the release of 70 Up. Read: RadioTimes
Paramount+ is star-stacking the animated TV series adaptations of its upcoming The Pigeon Show! Starring The Pigeon and The Elephant & Piggie Show!. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Tituss Burgess and Ellie Kemper (who is still laying low…) set to voice Elephant and Piggy, while Doogie Howser MD star Neil Patrick Harris will voice Pigeon’s bus driver nemesis. Read: THR
Former American Pie star Shannon Elizabeth has launched her OnlyFans account about 25 years too-late. Read: Complex
After nine years, Ian Katz is stepping down as content chief at the UK’s Channel 4. Read: C21
Peacock has canned The Copenhagen Test after just one season. Read: Deadline
In the march towards Emmy season (eligibility for this years awards ends May 31 2026, which is why we are seeing a lot of prestige-y shows debuting in recent weeks), Indiewire has a look at Best Drama and seems to feel it is coming down to Pluribus vs The Pitt. That seems right to me, with The Pitt a pretty clear favourite. Read: Indiewire
Trailer Park
Man On Fire debuts on Netflix April 30.
Haunted by his past and hunted by his enemies, a Special Forces veteran fights to keep a teenage girl alive on the deadly streets of Rio de Janeiro.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood returns for season 2 on Starz in the US fall.
Ladies First debuts on Netflix at a date TBA.
An arrogant but charismatic ladies' man finds his life of money, power and casual flings upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women.
Mating Season debuts on Netflix May 22.
In the search for love, we're all animals. From the creators of Big Mouth comes Mating Season, a new adult animated comedy - set in the animal world - about love, sex, relationships, and the universal need to find a partner. Starring horny, lovable forest critters - a bear named Josh (voiced by Zach Woods), a raccoon named Ray (voiced by Nick Kroll), a deer named Fawn (voiced by June Diane Raphael), and a fox named Penelope (voiced by Sabrina Jalees).
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War debuts May 22 on Prime Video.
Rivals is back for season 2 on Hulu May 15.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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