Netflix boss responds to worrying theory that the streaming service is changing 'for the worse'
It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for Netflix, but having recently ducked out of the Warner Bros. acquisition, the streaming giant is back in its own lane and back to pumping out Stranger Things spin-offs, manosphere documentaries, and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Having already revolutionized the video rental market as it's accused of putting Blockbuster in the ground, Netflix still sits firmly at the top of the streaming service pile. Despite stiff competition from the likes of Disney+, Amazon's Prime Video, Apple TV, and all the rest, it’s the undisputed leader of the pack.
This has put Netflix in the firing line more than most, with continued complaints about price rises, artificial intelligence pivots, and general redesign grumbles just when you get used to the latest UI.
Away from wild rumors that Netflix was holding back a 'secret' episode of Stranger Things, another bit of tabloid gossip led to claims that those at the top have a 'second screen' mandate. Amid accusations that Netflix is 'dumbing down' its content, it's apparently because viewers simply aren't engaged anymore and are too busy scrolling through TikTok.
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This wasn't helped by Matt Damon appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and paraphrasing Netflix as he said: "And it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching’."
The second screen mentality actually makes sense, with claims that Netflix's original shows and movies have to overexplain things several times as a way to keep distracted viewers up to date with what's going on.
Even the 98th Academy Awards poked fun at the second screen theory during a skit where Conan O'Brien and Sterling K. Brown joked about rewriting n the plot of Casablanca. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the bit got a few laughs from the audience and even Netflix film chief Dan Lin, although it's given him the opportunity to put the rumors to bed.
Speaking at a March 18 event that showcased what else Netflix has coming up in 2026, Lin told reporters: "There is no such principle. We actually all laughed when we watched that bit at the Oscars, but there’s no such principle.
"I mean, if you watch our movies or TV shows, we don’t repeat our plots. I don’t know where that comment came from."
Joined by chief content officer Bela Bajaria and drama series vice president Jinny Howe, Lin reiterated: "We’re just focused on making great movies. There’s no formula or procedure that you just mentioned."
Bajaria chimed in to add: "It's so offensive to creators and filmmakers to think that we would give them a bad note like that and they would just take it.
"I think, you know, haters gotta hate and people have got to make things up."
Suggesting the opposite is the case, Bajaria claimed she'd previously asked an unnamed TV showrunner to dilute the amount of exposition in the show's plot: "That was like, ‘I know, the subtext is there, please don’t tell me,’ she said. “So sometimes that even happens."
We'll let you do your own theorizing on what that unnamed show was.
Howe maintains that execs know they can't pull the wool over the audience's eyes because they're never afraid to take to the internet to make their feelings clear.
Referring to Bajaria as the 'exposition police', he concluded: "We take it really seriously that we’re not trying to dumb things down, and it is about making sure the audience knows it’s for them, and audiences are very savvy."