NETFLIX NAMES TARHEEL AS NEW COO

The new COO of Netflix is a Tarheel who used to work in Greensboro, NC, where this humble blog originates.

LOS GATOS, Calif., January 18, 2006 – Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) today announced the appointment of former U.S. Postmaster General William J. Henderson as chief operations officer of the world’s largest online DVD rental service. He assumes his new role on January 23 and succeeds Tom Dillon, who is scheduled to retire in April.

In his new role at Netflix, Mr. Henderson will be responsible for managing and evolving the technology, automation and distribution operations that underpin the company’s rental business. He will report directly to Netflix Chairman and CEO Reed Hastings.

“Bill Henderson is about the only person on the planet who looks at our volume of mail as a trickle,” said Mr. Hastings. Netflix ships over one million DVDs a day from 37 distribution centers across the U.S.

“Bill is the perfect person to ensure that our operations are inextricably linked with every aspect of the business and that our service levels are a linchpin of the Netflix customer experience,” Mr. Hastings added. “We’ll look for him to extend our current competitive advantages in this area, particularly as our mail volume increases with our forecasted growth to at least 5.65 million subscribers this year and 20 million by 2010-2012.”

Of Mr. Dillon’s pending retirement, Mr. Hastings said: “I know I speak for the entire company in wishing Tom the very best as he moves into the next phase of his life. To say that he contributed mightily to our success does not do justice to the impact Tom had on us professionally and personally. We’re all indebted to him.”

For more information, visit www.netflix.com.