Netflix's Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria Said 'nobody Knows' What Prestige Tv Is As She Rejected Criticism Of The Platform

Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer.

Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix

• Netflix's Bela Bajaria has defended the platform against suggestions it no longer makes prestige TV.
• "Nobody knows what 'prestige TV' actually is," Bajaria said.
• She was speaking via livestream at a Netflix preview event attended by Business Insider.

Netflix's chief content officer has responded to suggestions that the streaming service no longer makes prestige TV.

Speaking via a livestream in Los Angeles for a Netflix preview event attended by Business Insider on Wednesday, Bela Bajaria said she wanted to bust the "myth" that the streamer no longer creates prestige original programming for its subscribers.

"The most annoying thing about this myth — besides the fact that it's not true — is that nobody knows what 'prestige TV' actually is," Bajaria said.

"Is it a critically acclaimed show? Does it win awards? Is it a show audiences love? Is it one that people at your dinner parties in New York and L.A. talk about?"

Bajaria added: "The only thing we do know is that a lot of people who brag about making prestige TV have a very narrow audience. "

Over the years, Netflix has expanded its offerings to include live sporting events and reality shows, which some see as a departure from hit original dramas like "Narcos" and "House of Cards."

But Bajaria said Netflix was "different" from other streaming services and networks because it has "never tried to be famous for just one thing" and so attracts a wide-ranging audience.

Netflix

The streamer announced in January that it had finished 2024 with more than 300 million paid subscribers worldwide, placing it above rivals such as Apple TV+, Max, and Prime Video.

Bajaria also argued that Netflix was making more critically acclaimed and celebrated shows "than ever," pointing to the fact that the streamer had 107 Emmy and 36 Golden Globe nominations last year.

Bajaria said that this year, the streamer will be bringing viewers a variety of shows "that meet any definition of 'prestige TV."

Such offerings include "Zero Day," a political thriller starring Robert de Niro, Angela Bassett, and Jesse Plemons, which is set to debut on February 20.

Others include "Death By Lightening," a new historical miniseries produced by "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, "The Beast In Me," a thriller starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, and "Black Rabbit," which will reteam "Ozark" stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.

At Wednesday's event, Bajaria also took the opportunity to push back at criticism of "sameness in mainstream culture."

While bringing up a screenshot of a 2024 New York Times video article titled "Is Creativity Dead?," Bajaria said: "I get it. Last year, the 15 highest-grossing films were all sequels, reboots, or spinoffs."

But she added that "there's a whole lot of really interesting, creative work that people don't always see."

"Creativity is not dead — not on Netflix, and not for the creators we work with. They're always coming up with amazing, original ideas we can't stop thinking about."