Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos will be the guest at Express Adda in New Delhi on Thursday. Sarandos has been associated with Netflix for more than two decades and has played a pivotal role in the company’s expansion across the entertainment landscape.
The top Netflix executive will be in conversation with Ananth Goenka, Executive Director of The Indian Express Group. The interaction comes as streaming platforms continue to reshape how films and television series are produced, distributed, and watched globally.
Changing audience preferences, new business models, and the increasing demand for content that can travel across languages and cultures are among the major issues facing the entertainment industry today.
Ted Sarandos and Netflix’s Streaming Journey
He was closely involved in Netflix’s push into original content, including hit series like House of Cards, Arrested Development, and Orange Is the New Black. Netflix has since expanded its content offerings across markets, bringing films and series from different countries and languages to global audiences.
Among TIME’s Most Influential People
Sarandos has also received international recognition for his influence on the entertainment business. He was named to TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2013 and again in 2025. Under his leadership, Netflix has invested in content from a diverse range of creators and markets as it expands its global presence.
All About Express Adda
Adda is a series of informal interactions organized by The Indian Express Group featuring prominent personalities from various fields. Recent guests have included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria.
The series has also hosted cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, chess legend Viswanathan Anand, comedian Zakir Khan, actor Kal Penn, and Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra.
Business and technology leaders who have appeared at the event include Peak XV Partners Managing Director Rajan Anandan and Sarvam AI co-founder and CEO Pratyush Kumar.
When Sarandos Met PM Modi
Sarandos also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India on Wednesday, where the two discussed the potential of the country’s media and entertainment sector. Sharing details of the meeting on X, PM Modi said: “Glad to have met Mr. Ted Sarandos. Discussed the immense potential of India’s media and entertainment sector.”
The Prime Minister highlighted India’s strong storytelling tradition and rich pool of creative talent, noting that these strengths could reinforce India’s position as a global hub for content creation. Netflix India also posted about the meeting on X as the streaming platform marks 10 years in the country, stating that Sarandos and Modi discussed a shared vision of bringing India’s media and entertainment industry to a global audience.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: ‘I was sceptical Netflix would get this big, certainly not this fast’, says Sarandos
Sarandos said Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings had a remarkably clear vision of what the company could become when the two met in 1999. He recalled that Hastings described a future for Netflix that was broadly similar to what the streaming platform has become today.
“Reed described Netflix in 1999 pretty much as it is today,” Sarandos said. He further added that he was initially less certain about Netflix's potential. He said, “I was sceptical Netflix would get this big, certainly not this fast.”
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: ‘India is a business-friendly environment’, says Sarandos
Sarandos described India as a “business-friendly environment”, saying Netflix enjoys operating in the country. While India can sometimes be unpredictable, he said it is not among the most difficult markets for the streaming company to navigate.
“India is not the most difficult place in the world to do business,” Sarandos said. Speaking more broadly about Netflix's global operations, he added that every market has its own challenges, including local audience preferences, cultural differences and regulations.
Sarandos said documentaries will continue to be an important part of Netflix's content offering. “There will always be a place for documentaries at Netflix,” he said.
He said streaming has widened access to documentaries and foreign-language films that audiences may previously have struggled to find. “No matter where you are, you should have access to documentaries,” Sarandos said.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: Sarandos’ advice to filmmakers-‘Learn how to pitch’
On creators approaching Netflix, Sarandos stressed the importance of being able to present an idea effectively. “Film schools should have an entire course on how to pitch,” he said, while adding that a strong understanding of storytelling can help new filmmakers stand out.
Sarandos said Netflix does not see its India strategy as a choice between premium and mass-market entertainment. “Netflix in India is doing both classy and massy content,” he said, indicating that the platform wants to cater to a broad range of viewers.
Looking back at Netflix's early years in India, Sarandos suggested he would have preferred to offer a wider mix of programming from the outset. “We were eventually going to do both,” he said.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: ‘We disagree violently, but we don’t hold grudges’: Sarandos on Netflix’s co-CEO model
Sarandos said Netflix’s co-CEO model works because disagreements are kept professional rather than personal. “We disagree violently, but we don’t hold grudges,” he said.
He mentioned that he and co-CEO Greg Peters agree “about 95% of the time” and have complementary strengths. When differences arise, each is willing to defer to the other’s expertise. “We care deeply about the success of the business,” Sarandos added.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: Sarandos shares his views on Journalism
Sarandos said he once wanted to become a journalist and edited newspapers in high school and community college before eventually moving towards entertainment. “I always thought journalists were heroes,” he said.
He said curiosity remains a common thread between journalism and entertainment. “What’s in the DNA of journalism is curiosity,” Sarandos said, adding that movies, television and journalism can introduce people to different lives and cultures and make the world feel “a little smaller and a little safer”.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: Sarandos on AI
Sarandos said Indian creators are embracing artificial intelligence faster and more aggressively than he has seen elsewhere. “AI is a creator tool,” he said, adding that it can help filmmakers turn ambitious ideas into reality.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: ‘We didn’t want dependence on any one movie, show or sport’: Sarandos
Speaking about Netflix's approach to India, Sarandos stated the company did not want its subscriber growth to depend heavily on a single costly property, whether a film, show or sport.
“We didn’t want dependence on any one movie, show or sport,” he said. Sarandos added that Netflix continues to see substantial growth potential in its existing entertainment business.
“There’s so much headroom in what we currently do,” he said, adding that the platform continues to introduce new content and formats and improve its offerings for viewers.
Sarandos highlighted the relatively limited number of cinema screens available to India's population despite its appetite for movies. Describing India as “dramatically underscreened”, Sarandos said streaming and other screens can help widen access to entertainment and bring Indian stories to viewers who may otherwise have limited opportunities to watch them.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Express Adda LIVE: ‘India is one of the great storytelling cultures in the world’, says Sarandos
Sarandos said Netflix is pleased with its progress in India but sees the country as a long-term growth opportunity. The streaming platform has been operating in India for about a decade and continues to expand, he said, adding that its focus remains on offering films, series and other programmes that audiences want to watch. “India is one of the great storytelling cultures in the world,” Sarandos said, pointing to the country's large audience and strong demand for entertainment.
The bigger challenge Netflix wanted to address was content discovery. “The problem we were trying to solve was not production or distribution, but discovery,” Sarandos said, explaining that technology could help connect viewers with content suited to their interests instead of relying primarily on mass advertising.
Sarandos said Netflix's early strategy was based on the expectation that the internet would eventually become the main way people accessed entertainment at home. Recalling discussions with Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings in 1999, he said streaming did not exist then and downloading films was considered the more likely future.
Netflix's DVD-by-mail business, he said, also gave the company valuable insights into customer relationships, payments and viewing choices.