DEFYING THE HATERS

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Salvage Something With New Netflix Deal

It’s not as sweet as the 2020 arrangement that yielded the mega-hit “Harry & Meghan,” but few in Hollywood these days would refuse a deal that mirrors that of the Obamas.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have defied their haters by securing a multi-year “first look” deal with Netflix. Just as important, perhaps, for the couple was a renewed commitment from Netflix to Meghan’s lifestyle brand.

The deal was described by The Hollywood Reporter as “in practice, a downgrade” compared to their 2020 deal. But the couple will doubtless be pleased at having defied the more apocalyptic predictions that Netflix would cut them loose entirely after Meghan’s hostessing show, With Love, Meghan, was savaged by the critics and Harry’s show about polo flopped.

In a press release Monday, Harry and Meghan made their case for the show, saying that With Love, Meghan is Netflix’s most-watched culinary show of the year. The second season is due to drop shortly.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that the new “first look” deal was similar to the arrangement Barack and Michelle Obama have with Netflix.

As streamers tighten their belts, some critics had confidently declared the arrangement with Netflix was all but dead.

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It turns out, however, that the couple still have a relationship that many in the increasingly troubled TV business would kill for, with Netflix committing to a holiday special of With Love, Meghan and a short documentary set in Uganda called Masaka Kids: A Rhythm Within.

It was also confirmed that the couple are, as widely rumored, developing an adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling romance novel Meet Me at the Lake.

The new agreement also includes an ongoing collaboration on Meghan’s As Ever lifestyle brand, with new items due to launch.

It’s a salient reminder that while their detractors have dismissed the couple as over-hyped and accused them of under-delivering, Harry and Meghan still command a covetable global audience. That seems to have been enough to keep the world’s most powerful streaming service onside.

The six-part Harry & Meghan documentary remains Netflix’s fifth most-watched documentary series.

Meghan issued a statement saying she was “proud” to “extend” the partnership with Netflix.

Netflix’s content chief, Bela Bajaria, offered the expected praise, calling the couple “influential voices” with work that “resonates with audiences everywhere.”

But the timing of the renewal speaks just as loudly: In an era when even established producers are losing deals, the Sussexes have proved the naysayers wrong and clung on to a partnership, albeit a reduced one, that would be the envy of many in Hollywood.

Of course, whether all of their output lands with quite the force Netflix’s PR suggests remains to be seen.

For more on this story, and other royal gossip, scoops and scandal, head over to The Royalist on Substack.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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