Netflix paid $587 million in cash to acquire Ben Affleck's AI production startup InterPositive, according to a federal regulatory filing disclosed on July 17, 20261,2.
The figure appeared in Netflix's Form 10-Q report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "In March 2026, the Company completed an acquisition which was accounted for as a business combination for a total purchase price of approximately $587 million, consisting of cash consideration," the filing states. Netflix announced the deal in March but did not disclose financial terms at the time. A Bloomberg report had indicated the total value could reach up to $600 million for Affleck and InterPositive's investors, with the remainder beyond the cash purchase price tied to certain performance targets.
InterPositive, which Affleck founded in 2022 and operated in stealth mode, brought a 16-person team of engineers, researchers, and creatives into Netflix. Affleck joined Netflix as a senior advisor as part of the agreement.
The acquisition expanded Netflix's suite of AI-powered tools for filmmakers. InterPositive's proprietary AI model is trained solely on dailies from a specific film or television production to ensure output relevance and protect creators. The tools can be used on any live-action film or TV show during production or post-production to address challenges such as replacing missing shots, reframing existing shots, correcting lighting, and replacing or enhancing backgrounds.
Netflix said InterPositive's model and features would work alongside tools offered by the streamer's third-party partners and its in-house tech unit Eyeline. Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO, said the technology is being used for complicated shots and sequences such as enhancing crowds or historic battle scenes. Sarandos said AI gives creatives better tools to bring their visions to life.
Netflix said generative AI workflows have been used in roughly 300 of its titles in 2026, with the largest concentration of generative AI work in post-production. The company said AI can shorten content creation timelines and enhance quality, and that cost savings from AI will likely be reinvested into more content on the service. Netflix also said it would continue to leverage AI to provide a more personalized, immersive, and interactive experience for members and enhance advertising capabilities for brands.
ANALYSIS The $587 million cash outlay for a 16-person startup underscores the premium Netflix placed on InterPositive's production-specific AI model and its integration potential with Eyeline. The design constraint — training only on a given production's dailies — positions the toolset as a controlled, rights-compliant approach to generative AI in entertainment, distinct from models trained on broad datasets.