In recent days, there were two big stories about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix contract. Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a five-year development deal with Netflix in 2020, and for all of that time, the British media has been obsessed with whether the deal will be renewed. It’s more complicated than “the British media is sitting back and waiting to see what happens” though – they’ve actively tried to ruin Harry and Meghan’s professional reputations and there’s a constant stream of “reports” from “Netflix insiders” who always sound like they’re speaking from a padded cell. Long story short, both the Daily Mail and Harper’s Bazaar are in agreement: the Sussexes’ Netflix contract will be renewed. I’ll save you the Mail’s bilious Alison Boshoff piece in its entirety, but I think it’s interesting that even a certified hater like Boshoff is admitting that Netflix loves the Sussexes:
For, as I can exclusively reveal, despite ratings which insiders concede were ‘limp’ and ‘disappointing’, it is ‘almost certain’ that her Netflix lifestyle TV show, With Love, Meghan, will be recommissioned for a third series to be shown next year (a second is already in the can), and that the deal with the streamer, which had appeared dead in the water, will be renewed in September.
One well-placed source tells me: ‘What people do not understand about the situation is that [Netflix CEO] Ted Sarandos is a massive, massive fan of Meghan personally. He calls her “the rock star”. There is no way that her deal does not get renewed.’ The source adds: ‘Ted is in the Meghan business and that is not about to change. He is all in.’
So while the deal will be re-upped, my source says it’s on the basis of Meghan’s on-screen presence and of her ideas in the lifestyle arena. And not on account of any ideas Harry has had.
Those who do business with Netflix believe the new deal will be a much-reduced offer compared with their current agreement, will be focused entirely on Meghan and this time will be without a generous upfront payment. One senior TV and film producer said: ‘The renewal will be crucial in saving face all round, not least for Netflix. It’s like Amazon endlessly renewing Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s deal, despite her coming up with nothing. It means that the executive who made the hire doesn’t look as if they made a mistake. I can see why it makes sense to renew for much smaller money. Meghan’s not got anything to the screen as a producer – none of the scripted [films or TV shows] she talked about have come to fruition – but people are fascinated by her on a global level, and that’s not true of many people.’
The basic gist sounds correct to me: Netflix will renew, mostly based on the fact that Ted Sarandos likes Meghan so much and he believes there’s more profit there; the renewal will probably be for less money, but nearly everyone is getting less money than they were in 2020. Boshoff and the British media are consistently trying to slip in the lie about WLM’s ratings though – WLM’s ratings were amazing, and it was a top-ten show in dozens of countries for weeks. Anyway, here’s Harper’s Bazaar saying the same thing just in a much more positive way:
Unlike other projects the Sussexes have undertaken—like their reported $20 million deal with Spotify, which ended in 2023—the Netflix deal seems to have staying power. Proof? With Love, Meghan has already been renewed for a second season, and episodes will debut later this year. Beyond that, Netflix is a partner in Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever, hinting that the company’s relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Netflix has been an incredibly collaborative partner from the outset, the source close to the Sussexes shares with Bazaar. The company’s consumer products and experiences group—created to take shows from the platform off the screen to deepen fandom—features product collections inspired by series like Bridgerton, Squid Game, and Stranger Things. As Ever’s first product drop—released last month and featuring an eight-product lineup—sold out in just 45 minutes.
Andrew Morton, royal biographer and author of 1992’s Diana: Her True Story tells Bazaar that Harry and Meghan are closely tied to Sarandos, mentioning that the couple could even follow in Sarandos’s footsteps as far as appearing on Apple TV+’s celebrity cameo-packed show The Studio in a forthcoming season. Netflix wants success, he says, adding that “Netflix would not have invested both monetary capital and social capital in Meghan’s lifestyle brand if they didn’t think it was going to be a winner.” Of the Duchess of Sussex, “you can see the direction she’s going, and it’s not a foolish direction,” Morton says. “It’s quite a clever direction.”
A source close to the couple, while not explicitly confirming a future for the Sussexes and the streaming service, says that both parties have an “unwavering commitment to content that moves people.” The partnership, they add, has expanded into a comprehensive collaboration representing a strategic, long-term investment.
“Several exciting developments are still under wraps, but all will be revealed later this year,” the source says.
Yeah, I think the contract renewal will be more focused on Meghan and her lifestyle brand. It would not surprise me at all if the new contract enabled Netflix to break even further into the lifestyle arena, with an expansion of As Ever and more seasons of WLM ordered immediately. This is what I’ve wanted for so long, for Meghan to go off and build her brand and run her business. I think it’s happening.
Photos courtesy of Netflix, As Ever’s IG.
