Netflix has been having a good run concerning its TV content lately. In fact, it was such TV series that cemented the brand and kept it afloat when some of its biggest investments in feature films disappointed in their returns. And one of the major brains behind the streamer’s most successful TV hits? Indian-American Head of Netflix’s Global TV -Bela Bajaria.
From CBS to Warner Bros. Television Studios to Universal Television to her current top position at Netflix, Bajaria has worked at and eventually led the top studios in the field. One of her smartest traits may be her ability to adapt and be quick on her toes at the onset of change, something she diligently demonstrated when she requested a move to CBS’ production studio to develop cable shows, comprehending the decline of the television films’ market.
One of the biggest and most influential names in the industry, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she is a consistent name amongst the most powerful women in the world. And the latest laurel for the staunch supporter of representation in storytelling? Her presence in Forbes’ 100 most powerful women list, amongst world leaders like US Vice President Kamala Harris and India Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Upon her entry into Netflix in 2016 as Head of Unscripted and International content and her later promotion to her current position during the pandemic, Bajaria has been in some of the streamer’s biggest hits like ‘Bridgerton’, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, ‘Lupin’, and ‘Cobra Kai’.
Here are some of the records set by the much-loved series she was instrumental in bringing to the screen:
1. Bridgerton
S01- With 625.49 million hours viewed it became the most-watched original series launch on the service at the time of its premiere.
S02- Was the most-watched English-language television series on Netflix at the time with 656.16 million hours in its first 28 days of release, and debuted at number one in 92 countries on the platform. It was also the most-viewed show on United States television screens for three weeks per Nielsen Media Research.
2. The Queen’s Gambit
Four weeks after its debut, it had become Netflix’s most-watched scripted miniseries, making it Netflix’s top program in 63 countries.
3. Lupin
The mystery thriller’s first part consisting of 5 episodes was watched by 70 million households during its first month, becoming the most-watched non-English series on Netflix at the time.
4. Cobra Kai S04
In February 2021, after the release of season 3, Forbes announced that it “kicked off 2021 as one of most viewed original series on a streaming platform”. From December 28, 2020, to January 3, 2021, it came in “second only to Netflix’s Bridgerton”, with over 2.6 billion viewing minutes.
A visionary who believes that local stories if told well become international stories, the recent blockbuster success of Netflix’s Indian TV content like ‘Khakee: The Bihar Chapter’ is a validation of her vision for the streamer. The critically acclaimed series even entered the coveted Global Top 10 Non-English titles list of Netflix for the week from November 28 to December 4. According to streaming rating provider Flixpatrol, the series is No.1 this month in India, clocking an impressive 70 points, even pushing Netflix’s streaming juggernaut ‘Wednesday’ to spot 2 with 63 points.
Add to that the plethora of impressive Indian TV content unveiled at Netflix’s ‘Tudum 2022: Global Fan Event’ (most notably Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi), and it seems after a few missteps, Netflix is finally getting a hang of the Indian market and how! And no points for guessing, yes, it is TV Supremo Bela Bajaria who is leading the change at the streamer, undoubtedly at the best of her game.
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