Ted Sarandos Says Netflix 'Saved Hollywood'
Ted Sarandos speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2025 in New York City Credit - Jemal Countess—Getty Images for TIME
The TIME100 Summit closed out with a Ted talk—that is, a talk with Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix.
When asked by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs whether Netflix has 'destroyed Hollywood,' Sarandos, who is on TIME's 2025 list of the world's most influential people, argued that the streamer has actually 'saved Hollywood.'
'We deliver the program to you in a way you want to watch it,' he said on Wednesday.
For many, he said, that means watching movies and TV shows at home. He argued that Netflix is providing a service to Americans in rural areas, who might not have as easy access to movie theaters.
As to whether it is outdated to make movies for cinemas so people can watch them as a communal experience, Sarandos said, 'I believe it is an outmoded idea, for most people—not for everybody.' In fact, Netflix did take over the last single screen movie theater in Manhattan in 2019.
Sarandos, who also made the 2013 TIME100 list, said Netflix subscribers are watching six different genres all the time, and noted how a promotional event for WWE Monday Night RAW included a live chamber music performance inspired by Bridgerton.
Sarandos also reflected on comments he made earlier in the day at Semafor's World Economy Summit when he said that the entertainment industry often gets 'thrown under the bus' when it comes to trade deals.
Sarandos said he was describing how in trade deals, even before President Donald Trump's current trade war, a free trade agreement with a country might include an exception for entertainment, requiring a minimum investment obligation that only the entertainment businesses have to follow. 'What I was saying is, it's often that the entertainment industry doesn't get treated like a real business, and that's one of the examples of it.'
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The TIME100 Summit convenes leaders from the global TIME100 community to spotlight solutions and encourage action toward a better world. This year's summit features a variety of speakers across a diverse range of sectors, including business, health and science, AI, culture, and more.
Speakers for the 2025 TIME100 Summit include human rights advocate Yulia Navalnaya; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; comedian Nikki Glaser; climate justice activist Catherine Colman Flowers; Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and many more, plus a performance by Nicole Scherzinger.
The 2025 TIME100 Summit was presented by Booking.com, Circle, Diriyah Company, Prudential Financial, Toyota, Amazon, Absolut, Pfizer, and XPRIZE.
Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com.
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