Ted Sarandos Finally Admits Netflix Growth Is Falling Short

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos admitted this week that the streaming giant is not growing as quickly as he wants, even as Wall Street raises fresh concerns about falling viewer engagement and YouTube’s growing hold on television audiences. “Overall, we’re not growing as fast as I want us to, and we’re working on making that move faster,” Sarandos said Wednesday at Bloomberg’s 2026 Screentime event in Los Angeles. The acknowledgment comes after Netflix viewership rose only 2 percent during the first half of 2026. HSBC recently downgraded Netflix stock from buy to hold, with analyst Mohammed Khallouf cutting his price target from $96 to $76. Khallouf warned that YouTube is gaining ground as Netflix struggles to keep viewers interested in its original programming. YouTube captured 14.2 percent of U.S. television viewing in July, while Netflix fell to a multiyear low of 7.8 percent, according to Nielsen figures cited in reports. Khallouf said YouTube has benefited from a “declining reception” to Netflix’s original content and argued that a “near-term recovery in engagement looks unlikely.” Sarandos made clear that Netflix does not plan to become another platform driven by amateur creators...