Netflix in Turmoil: MIA Market Report & Patrick Brammall Interview — International Insider

Welcome back. This week, Insiders, I’m Jesse Whittock guiding you through seven days across international film and television, covering everything from large-scale corporate layoffs to Italian industry gatherings. Let’s jump in — subscribe to the newsletter for the full Insider package.

Trouble at Netflix

International light amid the storm: Netflix’s turmoil has already claimed high-profile exits — global content chief Bela Bajaria and film head Dan Lin are gone, and veteran studio executive Peter Rice (formerly of Fox and Disney television) has been brought in. Even though Netflix continues to generate sizable revenue, Wall Street’s expectations have tightened, and recent rounds of cuts — including the departure of many employees — reflect the company’s effort to reset under Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. Yet quietly, Netflix’s international operations have continued to strengthen their standing. While the platform’s stock dipped after a soft quarter and the U.S. failed to produce a breakout hit in 2026, Netflix highlighted regional successes including Japan’s Plastic Beauty, Denmark’s The Secret Woman, Mexico’s El Chapo, and the Dutch drama The Perfect Lie. Executives pointed to carrying France’s TF1 channel package as an example of future deal-making potential. None of those non-U.S. titles are global blockbusters — not yet — but regional teams and local heads will welcome the recognition. Bajaria was well regarded across territories, and her tenure coincided with major expansion of Netflix’s overseas hubs over the last six years. As for Rice, there’s an international angle there too: he’s British, studied at the University of Nottingham, and started his media career at Twentieth Century Fox in 1989. Although most of his work has been with U.S. studios, he’s no stranger to European festivals like the Edinburgh TV Festival, which may signal continued support for the local-to-global strategy that fueled investment in multiple markets. For more on his background and what’s next, read Nellie Andreeva’s excellent profile.

When in Rome…

From MIA to you: This week’s Rome MIA Market was underway, and I attended the opening stretch of the five-day event in the Italian capital. Director Edward Berger, whose papal drama Conclave takes place inside Vatican walls, kicked things off with an illuminating conversation about his creative approach and how he sees the industry evolving. Berger suggested that Netflix had jolted Hollywood studios awake, but given current shifts, it may be the turn of the likes of Skydance, Disney and NBCUniversal to push innovation that inspires the streamer. MIA also hosted Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti — speaking publicly again after MIPCOM in Cannes — and Domingo Corral, the respected former Movistar Plus+ content chief, who urged gatekeepers to embrace risk (his choices helped greenlight projects including La Bola Negra and Sîrat). We also got a snapshot of Italy’s audiovisual sector, which saw inbound investment decline for the first time since 2018. MIA has matured into a key co-production and financing marketplace — the new European Investment Hub track this year underscored that shift — and besides excellent dining options in Rome (my current favorite is Francesco Panella’s Antica Pesa in Trastevere), there’s solid business to be done. More on MIA here.

The Deadline Interview: Patrick Brammall

Patrick Brammall was reflective in our conversation about his Apple TV thriller Last Seen. The Australian actor — who appears alongside his real-life partner Harriet Dyer — recently wrapped the romantic sitcom Colin From Accounts and is weighing dramatic options while raising a young family in Los Angeles. Brammall discussed what drew him to the darker material in Last Seen, how he feels about the fate of an injured dog in a previous Aussie comedy, and his involvement in The Devil Wears Prada 2. He also shared thoughts on shifts in Australia’s production landscape and paid tribute to Brian Walsh, the late Binge commissioner who backed Colin From Accounts. »» Read the interview

Bye Bye, BBC Three… Again

‘Fleabag’ net on the chopping block: How many channels get shuttered twice in a decade? Few, if any — but BBC Three has joined that rare list. The youth-focused channel is the latest high-profile casualty of the BBC’s sweeping cost-reduction program. Deadline first reported the plan last month, and this week it became reality as closures also hit BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra. Many argue that BBC Three’s audience already consumes content primarily online, so a linear channel is less essential; still, it’s disheartening to see a home for groundbreaking series like Fleabag and Gavin & Stacey go. It’s been a grim week for the UK public broadcaster, with more cuts, talk of additional savings, and program cancellations as the BBC attempts to balance the books under Matt Brittin, the former Google EMEA chief now overseeing the effort.

The Essentials

Hot One: J.A. Bayona, Javier Bardem and Laurent Bouzereau are collaborating on Néstor, a feature documentary about the celebrated Spanish cinematographer Néstor Almendros.

Another: Producer Gianni Nunnari — known for the 300 films — is adapting Brian Selznick’s YA novel Run Away With Me for the screen, with Selznick himself handling the screenplay.

Hot, Hot, Hot: Director Kari Skogland will helm Vigilant, a crime thriller based on a novel by Skúli Sigurðsson, adapted for television by Severance star Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.

New role: Carol Choi has been named President of The Walt Disney Company in Asia Pacific, succeeding the retiring Luke Kang.

Festival note: Walter Thompson-Hernández’s buzzed-about indie If I Go Will They Miss Me is one of 10 films competing in the International Competition at this year’s Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Interview: Producers detail how Olivia Colman’s Wicker evolved from an unpublished short to a feminist romantasy on the big screen.

Legal: The latest developments in the Russell Brand trial in London, where Brand denies the allegations against him.

YouTube: Amelia Dimoldenberg’s manager Rebecca Dowell is launching an Entertainment and New Media division within Three Six Zero’s international management arm.

TIFF preview: Liz Shackleton has set the scene for next week’s Tokyo International Film Festival with interviews featuring the festival leadership and TIFFCOM CEO Yasushi Shiina.

Madchester: Dates were announced for the first Greater Manchester edition of the TV Festival following Edinburgh.

Protest: Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones joined an open letter supporting Normal People writer Sally Rooney, whose books face bans in parts of the UK.

First look: Minnie Driver in the Paramount+ heist series The Day.

Photo of the Week

Claymation — Naomi Ackie and Tom Rhys Harries at the European premiere of Clayface at Curzon Mayfair in London.