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Peter Naylor, Netflix’s vp of ad sales, is leaving the company.
Ahead of Netflix’s second-quarter earnings call today, the news broke that Naylor is exiting Netflix. A source familiar with the matter told ADWEEK the leadership change comes as the company aligns its team structure with business priorities.
Moving forward, Netflix will be hiring a head of U.S. and Canada ad sales to replace Naylor’s global role.
“Peter’s enthusiasm, industry knowledge and relationships have been invaluable in getting our advertising business off the ground,” Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising, said in a statement. “I want to thank him for all he has done to build our team, grow the business and position Netflix for success.”
Naylor joined Netflix from Snap in 2022 ahead of the streamer’s ad tier launch, coming to the company alongside Jeremi Gorman, who was hired as Netflix’s then-president of worldwide advertising. Gorman later exited the company in October 2023, and Reinhard took on the president of advertising position, with Naylor staying on as vp of ad sales at the time.
The news comes amid the company’s ongoing upfront negotiations with advertisers, though buyers previously told ADWEEK this year’s market is softer than expected.
Naylor was instrumental in Netflix’s first in-person upfront presentation in May, closing out the streamer’s pitch to Madison Avenue.
Talking to ADWEEK following the upfront presentation, Naylor expressed the company’s desire to continue returning to upfront week.
“We’ll definitely be back next year because it’s such a wonderful opportunity to put our best foot forward, to tell our story in a unique way and to help advertisers understand what’s going on and where we’re going,” Naylor said.
In other news from Netflix’s earnings, the company is said to be making steady progress on its ad tier and scaling the business, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Netflix Ads plan membership has grown 34% quarter on quarter, accounting for more than 45% of all signups in markets with the ads plan. The streamer will look to achieve “critical scale” for advertisers in countries with ad-supported plans by 2025.
