- Peter Friedlander has been named head of TV at Amazon MGM Studios, changing Vernon Sanders.
- Friedlander is a former Netflix exec who beforehand led scripted TV for the US and Canada.
- He oversaw hits like “Stranger Issues” and “Bridgerton,” and labored at Playtone earlier than Netflix.
Amazon MGM Studios has discovered its new head of TV: an exec who spent over a decade at rival Netflix.
Peter Friedlander ran scripted TV within the US and Canada for Netflix, the place he was credited with shepherding hits like “Stranger Issues” and “Bridgerton.” He labored there from 2011 till this August.
Friedlander replaces Vernon Sanders, who introduced his departure final week. Sanders’ previous boss, fellow NBCUniversal alum Jen Salke, left earlier within the 12 months.
Amazon MGM Studios, identified for originals like “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy” and “Reacher,” drives Prime Video. The service captured 3.9% of US TV watch time in August, trailing Google’s YouTube, Netflix, and Disney’s mixed streamers, based on Nielsen.
Not like streaming rivals akin to Netflix and Disney+, Prime Video has constructed an enormous enterprise by letting folks simply subscribe to a big selection of streamers from HBO Max to Hallmark+ — through its “channels” program — and it is leaning into it because it tries to grow to be the default vacation spot for TV watching.
Friedlander’s appointment is the final in a string of huge management modifications this 12 months at Amazon’s leisure unit. Along with Salke’s exit, Jay Marine moved into a much bigger function overseeing the Prime Video enterprise whereas Albert Cheng, who had led that enterprise, moved into an AI function.
Here is the memo from Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video & Amazon MGM, on Friedlander:
Crew, Please be a part of me in welcoming Peter Friedlander, who joins Amazon MGM Studios as our new head of world TV. On this function, Peter will oversee our authentic TV portfolio within the US, along with our world tentpole titles, MGM Tv and MGM Different. Peter joins us from Netflix, the place he led their scripted collection division for the previous 4+ years, having joined that firm initially in 2011. His resume at Netflix speaks for itself, as his tenure introduced world audiences reveals like Wednesday, Bridgerton, Monster, Ozark, Emily in Paris, The Queen’s Gambit, Stranger Issues, The Night time Agent, 3 Physique Drawback, Black Mirror and extra. He joined Netflix as the primary devoted authentic collection worker, serving to to shepherd their first technology of reveals, together with Home of Playing cards and Orange Is The New Black, amongst others. Previous to Netflix, Peter was an govt at Tom Hanks’ and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone, the place he produced the Emmy-nominated drama collection Large Love and served as a inventive govt on lots of the firm’s characteristic movies. Peter started his profession engaged on movie units, together with Highway To Perdition and Austin Powers In Goldmember. I am unable to look ahead to Peter to ramp up and meet all of the groups, and I do know he is equally able to get began on Day 1, which might be Monday, October 6. Please be a part of me in congratulating Peter on his new function and in welcoming him to Amazon. Mike
