Speaking withVariety, Sarandos addresses the streaming strategies of competitors like Amazon, Apple, and Disney. In the interview, Sarandos was asked to speak about several different streaming services and to what extent he saw them as competitors to Netflix. He said thathe does not see Prime Video as a real competitorto Netflix when it comes to TV and movie production. He boasted Netflix’s “investment in personalization” and genre diversity as one of the key elements of its content. Check out the full interview exchange below:
Variety: When your suppliers, like Disney, became your competitors and started launching their own streaming services, especially in the early days of the pandemic, were you concerned they’d catch up?
Sarandos:I felt a lot more comfortable that we would do better at this than they would. Our advantage isthe investment we’ve made in personalization. We are not a one-genre label. If you love documentary, Netflix is the doc house. If you love drama, it’s the drama house. As long as we have the ability to do that, we’re going to be fine.
Variety: Let’s talk about some of the other streamers. The last time you were on our cover, back in 2017, you talked about how you didn’t understand Amazon’s original content strategy.
Sarandos:This is just me as an observer. Sports has been very effective. And I don’t know if that’s their entire strategy.
Variety: Do you see them competing with Netflix when it comes to movies or TV production?
Sarandos:I don’t. It’s hard for me to say. I don’t know what their long-term plans are. They’ve been streaming exactly as long as we have. They’ve been making original content exactly as long as we have.
Variety: What about Apple?
Sarandos:I don’t understand it beyond a marketing play, but they’re really smart people. Maybe they see something we don’t.
Variety: You have long admired HBO as a viewer. What did you think when they dropped the “HBO” from “HBO Max” and went with “Max” as the name of their streaming service?
Sarandos:It was a surprise! We would always watch what HBO was doing, and at one point they had HBO, HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO Max. And I said, “When they’re serious, all those names will go away, and it’ll just be HBO.” I would have never guessed HBO would have gone away. They put all that effort into one thing that they can tell the consumer —it should be HBO.
What This Means For Netflix
Smaller Streaming Services Also Boast Significant Shows
While Sarandos is not completely dismissive of all of his fellow streamers' strategies,he does seem to find Netflix superiorin every way. Even when presenting himself with the knowledge that Prime Video has “been making original content exactly as long as” Netflix has, he still answered with the negative when asked whether the streamer was a competitor. For Apple, he went so far as to say that he doesn’t “understand it beyond a marketing play.” He leaves “it” vague here, but it could refer to the entire streaming service.
30 Best TV Shows On Netflix Right Now (April 2025)
From classics like Suits and Seinfeld to twisty sci-fi like Stranger Things, the best shows on Netflix have something for everyone.
The interview notablyomits some other up-and-coming streaming networks. Paramount+ has only been around since March 2021, for example, but its executives have prided themselves on creating high-quality content. Leaning especially intoTaylor Sheridan shows, Paramount+ has produced well-reviewed and star-studded projects such asLioness,Tulsa King,Mayor of Kingstown, andLandman. The network may not have the kind of tenure to compete with Netflix yet, but it certainly has a good track record thus far.
Our Take On Ted Sarandos' Netflix Perspective
Netflix’s Content Volume Is Impressive
Sarandos is certainly right about Netflix’s genre breadth. With recent successful projects including everything fromAmerican Murder: Gabby PetitoandCarry-OntoNobody Wants This,Netflix has certainly produced a tonally diverse set of content that can appeal to multiple different types of audiences. As evidenced by a chart in a recent RT analysis fromPuck, Netflix is also responsible for much higher volumes of content, at least movie-wise, than some of its competitors. While Sarandos may be bold in his statements, his thoughts onNetflix’s dominance do come from a place of truth.
