On Monday, the Duchess of Sussex, Archewell and Netflix all released statements about their contract renewal. Weeks ago, after the first rush of doom-reporting about “Harry and Meghan’s Netflix contract will not be renewed,” the semantic walk-back was fascinating. It seems like the unnamed sources who walked back the story had it correct too – while the Sussexes were not technically renewing their contract under the same terms as 2020, they’re basically getting the same first-look deal that Netflix gave Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, which is pretty great. The Hollywood Reporter said that the new deal is “a multiyear, first-look deal for all of Archewell’s film and television projects. In practice, it is a downgrade from the 2020 overall deal…” THR also notes that, similar to Higher Ground’s deal, “the exclusivity carried by their respective, splashy original deals has been removed.” Meaning, if Netflix doesn’t want to produce or finance one of the Sussexes’ projects, the Sussexes can shop it around to other streamers or studios. Meanwhile, the New York Times had some gossip about the money and whether Netflix was mad at Harry in 2022-23.
Netflix is keeping its ties to Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. But those ties are getting looser. The production company for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has signed a new deal with Netflix, the two companies announced Monday morning. But it’s worth less for the royals than their last arrangement with the streaming giant, a person familiar with the deal said.
Under a deal signed in 2020, Netflix paid them for the exclusive rights to content from Archewell Productions, the couple’s company. The new arrangement is a first-look deal, meaning that Netflix can say yes or no to new film or television projects before anyone else. That gives Harry and Meghan more options, but less investment from Netflix, a sign that the high-profile 2020 deal may not have met expectations.
Netflix isn’t making as many all-encompassing deals as it did in the past. It scooped up a lot of the big talent years ago when boosting its production slate. Some, like the super-producer Shonda Rhimes and comedian Adam Sandler, outperformed. Others weren’t as successful.
There have also been tensions between Netflix and Archewell through the years, according to three people with knowledge of the relationship. The streaming giant found out about the release date of Harry’s memoir “Spare” just a few months before the documentary series about the couple was set to debut, said the people, who would speak only on the condition of anonymity. The Netflix series was released in two batches, on Dec. 8 and 15. “Spare” was released on Jan. 10. That upset some Netflix executives because the book covered some of the same ground as the series, undercutting the exclusive nature of the show.
An Archewell spokeswoman, Meredith K. Maines, and a Netflix spokeswoman, Emily Feingold, both said there was no tension between the two companies, calling the idea false.
The thing about the crammed timing for the Netflix series and Spare is interesting, because originally, Spare was supposed to come out before Christmas 2022. Harry pushed the release date back because of his grandmother’s death. Once I saw the Netflix series (Harry & Meghan), the thing that struck me was that it should have come out months earlier. I remember saying that on our podcast too, that it felt like something which should have come out in early 2022. It felt like the original idea was to have more space in-between their more autobiographical projects. Now, do I believe that Netflix was mad about it, really? No. If anything, Spare and Harry & Meghan are complementary pieces, especially since a big chunk of the series is Meghan’s voice and narrative.
As for the rest of it… yeah, the sources walking back the original story had it. A first-look deal with less money, less pressure and more freedom. I think the Sussexes AND Netflix will be extremely happy with this deal. Plus, Netflix going all-in on With Love, Meghan and As Ever. You know what no one has mentioned? Whether Harry really filmed (or will film) a documentary about African conservation.
Photos courtesy of Netflix and As Ever’s IG.
