Netflix Lays Off Ben Amadasun, Its Head African Content, In Global Restructuring

MICHAEL AKINOLA

In its biggest cut since 2022, Netflix has laid off Ben Amadasun, its Nigerian-born Vice-President for the Middle East and Africa and Head of African Content, as part of a global restructuring plan to cut the company’s workforce by 6 per cent or roughly 1,000 employees, according to an internal memo, as the streaming pioneer faces tough competition for viewers from legacy rivals and YouTube.

The bulk of the job cuts would be in Netflix’s product, tech, legal and human-resources teams, the email Co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos sent to employees on Wednesday showed.

Although Amadasun was based at Netflix’s Amsterdam office in the Netherlands, his departure is likely to send ripples through Africa’s film and television industry.

Kaye Ann Williams, the company’s director of scripted content, will succeed him and oversee Netflix’s content strategy in South Africa and across the rest of the continent.

Amadasun joined Netflix in 2019 as director of content acquisitions and co-productions for Africa.

He was promoted to director of content for the Middle East and Africa in June 2022, and later to vice-president in August 2023.

Following the retrenchment, Amadasun will not attend the 2026 MIP Africa and Fame Week Africa television markets in Cape Town, as he had in previous years.

At the streamer’s 10th-anniversary celebration, which took place in South Africa, Amadasun stated: “Over the past decade, South Africa has become our number one filming destination in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2020, we launched our first original South African title, Queen Sono, and ever since then we’ve built a formidable content for our audience in South Africa.”

Amadasun’s exit followed that of Bela Bajaria, its chief content officer in Hollywood, who was originally assured her Los Angeles job was safe.

Veteran entertainment executive Peter Rice was appointed to replace Bajaria.

The entertainment executive began his career at 20th Century Fox in 1989, which became 21st Century Fox and was acquired by Disney in 2019.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO, wrote to the staff regarding the retrenchments: “I know this is a big change in a year that has already had its share, but I also see an opportunity to take our slate to the next level, especially in the United States and Canada.”

The departure of Amadasun marks a significant moment for Netflix’s operations in Africa, given his instrumental role in expanding the platform’s investment in African storytelling and building relationships across the continent’s film and television industries.

Although leadership may change, the future of Netflix in Africa will depend on its ability to continue turning African stories into global successes while maintaining the trust of the community that helped build its presence across the continent.