Shocking no one, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have inked a multi-year mega-deal with Netflix. Do you think this is related to the pitch meetings they likely took around LA in June? Reportedly, they met with various studios and we never did find out what, exactly, they were pitching. The New York Times insinuates that they were actually looking for this kind of deal, something comprehensive, and those pitch meetings at other studios probably drove up their price and made the deal feel more competitive for Netflix. So, this Netflix deal is already being compared to the deal Barack and Michelle Obama made soon after they left the White House (the one which Donald Trump believes should be “investigated” lol). Anyway, one would imagine that the deal is incredibly lucrative:
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, having resettled in California, on Wednesday unveiled new Hollywood careers. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have founded a yet-to-be-named production company and signed a multiyear deal with Netflix, which will pay them to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming — giving the couple a global platform six months after their dramatic decampment from the House of Windsor.
Harry and Meghan may appear on camera in documentary programming. But she has repeatedly made it clear that she has no plans to return to acting, having last appeared in the cable drama “Suits,” which concluded its run in 2019. Their content will be exclusive to Netflix.
“Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” the couple said in a statement. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.” They added that Netflix’s “unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.” Netflix has 193 million subscribers worldwide.
It is unclear how much Harry and Meghan will be paid, given their lack of producing experience. A Netflix spokeswoman declined to comment. The streaming service, however, is known for backing up Brink’s trucks when it wants to be in business with high-profile people, particularly when other entertainment companies also want their services. In recent months, Harry and Meghan have quietly talked with Disney and Apple. Variety reported earlier this month that they had met with NBCUniversal.
“We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer, said in a statement.
Netflix is under pressure to keep its content pipelines flowing as it competes for viewers with Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, Peacock and the traditional broadcast networks. Family programming is particularly important to Netflix, and Harry and Meghan already have an animated series in development which is focused on inspiring women. Last week, Netflix released “Rising Phoenix,” a documentary about the Paralympic Games; Harry, who founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans, appears in the film.
Apparently, Meghan will not appear “as an actress” in any of the Netflix projects, which I find interesting because it’s so specific! It’s not that Meghan will refuse to appear ON CAMERA. It’s that she won’t be acting. My guess is that maybe one of the projects (maybe more) will involve Meghan interviewing people, or participating in a documentary on-camera, or perhaps narrating a documentary. Sources also told Omid Scobie that Harry and Meghan and committed to hiring diverse voices in front of and behind the camera.
The Sussexes’ official statement: “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.” They also say that Netflix’s “unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.” Impactful. Perhaps mindful too! We’ll see! It could be interesting. Oh, and Scobie also said that they’re already working on a nature docu-series and an animated series celebrating inspiring women.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
I’m so happy for them and wish them all the best . It was obvious they will make big moves like this and many more , only the brain dead haters are surprised and their tears are glorious
Me too I am so proud of them. DM is posting how poorly they will do with such lack of experience, my god these people stop at nothing to be negative all the time, it’s exhausting. Now HM can flip their birds and say Fcku as they refund that 1.5M for refurbishing Frogmore and be what? financially what? Yes that’s it: FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT. lol I can’t wait for the waity top CEO katies and the lazy willies to comment that they don’t comment on other people’s financial matter that will make the future king poorer than the younger brother married to the B-List black murican actress – but that they are truly happy for them.
This will be hilarious, I can’t wait. And I love documentaries that show real life struggles and resilience. Maybe i’ll like, maybe i wont, but some movie I like and some I don’t, some books I like, some book i don’t. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Saying H&M will do poorly due to lack of experience is ridiculous. H&M will hire the professional staff needed to run a production company the same way the Obamas did. Let the BM keep underestimating the Sussexes. It only helps to show the world how biased and insignificant they are.
Did they forget that Meghan was in the film business for years. She is not a novice. Her ex-husband was a producer, and she’s been around tons of writers, producers and directors. This may be a new role from acting but she knows this business.
The brain trust they have to draw from – the Obamas, Oprah, possibly Tyler Perry – is going to give them the knowledge they need to make this work. From hiring the right producers, writers, and staff, to connecting with the people that they want to tell their stories – they are both quick studies, and Meghan already has a working knowledge of the industry. Their instincts seem to be very good, and they’ve proven beyond a doubt that they are not afraid to make big bold leaps in new directions. I have no doubt that they are going to succeed. And the RF can stay salty all they want, but they are going to be left in the dust when these two are up and running. The Firm could have had this – the star power, the ability to connect to the Commonwealth countries in new ways, the spotlight to be shone on patronages and charities, the connection with a new generation of British citizens – and they threw it away because of jealousy and racism and narrow minded thinking. I hope they’re satisfied with what they have left.
They are now moving in a circle that a far above and beyond those local royals. If the RF and BM had any sense, they’d keep their mouths shut. But they don’t have any sense. So not only will Harry and Meghan continue to be great successes, the family looks smaller and more petty and more stupid and more irrelevant with every day that passes.
They picked the best network for this type of project. Netflix doesn’t release duds, so they’re pretty much guaranteed to be successful. I can’t think of anything on Netflix in the last several years that hasn’t had positive buzz.
+1
Oh honey, surely you can’t be serious? Netflix releases plenty of duds. But that’s the same as literally every tv/movie studio. Sometimes things turn out great and sometimes they suck and you just gotta keep going ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
LOL Netflix certainly does release duds on occasion (Bright immediately comes to mind but there’s been plentyyyy of others) . But I also don’t see them setting them up for failure.
The only worry I have is whether it will eventually turn to overexposure. I really like them now, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see what the project is like. At the end of the day it’s going to be used against them no matter what – I just hope they’re keeping that in mind when choosing the direction to take it I guess. I do however hope that they’ve gotten themselves a wildly lucrative deal – I really want them to get new “f-ck you money” to make the other royals blood boil.
Hi Erinn! I was thinking about you a few days ago and how we hadn’t seen you around here for a while. Hope you’re doing okay!
I agree with your point about over-exposure but I think they’ll be fine because I don’t think they’ll be the focus of the projects – maybe the first few (i.e. hosting or interviewing) to draw interest, but I think over time the majority of their efforts will be behind the cameras, so while their names will be used, we wont see them in every single project .
“At the end of the day it’s going to be used against them no matter what – I just hope they’re keeping that in mind when choosing the direction to take it I guess” —
One should never live their lives according to what other people will say or think…never!
They should go with what they think is right for them and the work/community they are looking to promote
All the best to them! (most importantly to my favorite Meghan; it is so pleasing to see haters lose their mind; they thought their little world is a reflection of the world! in the US, business is business; the attention the Sussexes get is astonishing……….if only they had left them alone LOL)
@becks1
Aww hope all is well for you too! I’m starting late today so I popped in haha. Started a new job in July as a training specialist for a BPO. (Happily) exhausted and super busy, and it’s in a PCI compliant office so no electronics. Could use phone on break but have been too busy chasing down paperwork to bother.
I’ll be definitely tuning into whatever they put out. I was practically wringing my hands last night when I saw the news and my husband thought I was up to something. Very excited for these two – and I will say the overexposure thing is a very small fear. Hopefully they’ll leave everyone wanting more 🙂
I agree Becks1. I think we will see them more behind the scenes than in front. This is also a multi year deal so not everything will come out at once. I think their projects with Netflix will be huge.
I really want an Invictus Games documentary.
@Ginger. So do I. I hope an Invictus Games documentary is one of the first things they produce.
Netflix is full of duds they just release so much content it gets buried. They pretty much throw a handful of darts at a target and hope one hits the bullseye.
I’m really proud of them! This will be amazing! I see such big things for them.
This is exactly the route I thought they would take. All those stories about Meghan going back to work as actress were just plain absurd. I see them doing documentaries about gender equality and education and the environment as well. I’m happy for them. The RR and the DM are about to have a nervous breakdown and I expect them to give a negative spin on this.
They already are but no one cares anymore what the rota has to say. When you’re dealing with real journalists and papers like the NYT and American outlets, these tabloids don’t matter.
It’s necessary to clarify Meghan won’t be acting because of all the false reports from the British press claiming she moved back to
Hollywood to become an A-list actress with her newfound royal clout.
Not just the British press. There are a series of blind items that insists that Meghan wants to go back to acting to nab an Emmy or an Oscar since she now has global recognition. She and Harry might eventually win awards as producers but that reality doesn’t fit the hater narrative though.
Yes. There were snide remarks about the only thing Meghan could possibly do was to return to acting or develop her own beauty line. This Netflix deal is such sweet revenge.
The haters and royal reporters don’t know what to do with themselves. This news has them shook. They were supposed to fail and come crawling back , not succeed.
LOL Edna, I forgot about that.
So happy for them! This is great news. And I can’t wait to see what they produce.
The haters are hating even harder though.
As has been discussed here many times, this was expected; they are following the great example set by former president B. Obama and Michelle
All the best; I am looking forward to what Meghan is going to do…….
This deal also proved something among royalists in the UK; the problem was never about tax payers money: racism, classism, xenophobia, gaslighting, showing the mediocrity of some members of the RF, envy/jealousy of the success of a POC who is supposed to be their inferior (the woman has a brain and it works well), but I realized part of the problem was also about “control”.
They couldn’t control HER; she didn’t need or even required their approval…..moving forward the RF is going to think twice about allowing their members to marry smart and independent women; because those know there are better options out there then be subject to abject treatment
Yep. It’s about control and The Sussexes are not controlled by the institution over there. Nothing has gone their way at all and that’s why they’re still obsessed with them because they aren’t used to it. They are traumatized and the more Harry and Meghan flourish without the media, family etc the bitterness will always be there. They wanted them humbled and come back crawling. They weren’t expecting the connections, the deals and new home. It’s done now and it might take years to that place to get to that stage.
As Kaiser said a few months ago, in the US, I think some POC and rational people have Meghan’s back. They have seen the racism behind the coverage of Meghan in the UK
Look at what she was able to accomplish in less than 2 years; instead of promoting and celebrating that, it was all about BS, nonsense; especially when you have some members still finding their voice; W who does not even have half of the accomplishment of the brother who was supposed to be useless
Who knew the Sussexes had connections to Tyler Perry? some people are most likely more than willing to help them and Meghan is a smart lady; she kept in touch with those she knew before marrying H
They wanted control but they also misunderstood how well connected Harry & Meghan were and the fact that they had powerful people looking out for them. Oprah, the Obamas, Tyler Perry and others had H&M’s backs and were going to help lift them up.
@Edna — I just wrote something similar; they miscalculated that some powerful Americans will have Meghan’s back…….after all the racism she has to deal with? a lot of people in the RF are really dumb, as if we didnt already know that LOL.
I am so happy for Meghan (and H by extension) just like I was happy for the Obamas.
Yeah, the press completely overlooked how well connected they are. Its clear that people who work with them LIKE them and its also clear they are both good at maintaining connections/relationships. Like William and Kate have met the Obamas, but I imagine the Obamas didn’t really think twice about the Cambridges after meeting them. They worked with Harry, attended the Invictus games TWICE, when Barack Obama certainly didn’t have to go to the Toronto games, etc.
Those two know how to network and I don’t mean that in a bad way, every successful person does it – but what is different in my mind about them is that people also seem to genuinely like them and genuinely want to help them. Tyler Perry did not have to let them live in his house for months. he did it because he wanted to.
@Becks1 – after seeing that picture on their wall, with the conveniently placed plant, I’m sure the Obamas knew exactly what to think about the Cambridges.
@Becks1 I think your point being well-networked and also well-liked is hugely important both for their future success and also for their star power and charisma.
I keep remembering an aside in some article early in their relationship noting that Meghan is/was a good-enough actress, but has always been an exceptional networker. I keep wondering if the quality that makes her so magnetic in print—I think beauty plus the ability to project delight and warmth— is also what powered the networking?
Becks,
The British establishment will never understand this. They think Tyler Perry offered up his home to them because he wants access to the queen. 😂 They think the Obamas are became friends with Harry because they wanted access to the queen. They just don’t get it because they truly believe that their queen is at the top of the pecking order in everyone’s minds.
@madameX – I think that’s part of it, she’s very magnetic and I imagine appealing in real life (as in, people like her very quickly.) I also think both she and Harry aren’t afraid to ask – I was watching a clip of Meghan before she was married, about blogging, and she was talking about interviewing Heidi Klum for the Tig and how she just….asked. And she asked lots of people and some said no, and some said yes – and she mentioned that while Suits was popular, it doesn’t mean someone like Heidi Klum has heard of her or has heard of her website, but she tried and got a positive response. I imagine that goes for a lot of her professional work – even the interview with the 19th, she asked if she could do that, and it was a big hit, and we know how excited they were over it. She asked to guest-edit Vogue. etc. It shows a self-confidence that I think has clearly helped her succeed.
@Nyro – good point LOL. They all think that people are after them for the Queen. Um, no? WTF does Tyler Perry want access to the queen for? People are friend with them/helping them/working with them because they want to – sure, some of the relationships are mutually beneficial, but theres nothing wrong with that.
@becks1, that is such a good point – asking is a such a huge deal. I’m sure that level of directness terrified the Brits. If that’s how she genuinely is, I can see Harry just being absolutely inspired by her directness, her genuine curiosity and follow through. JUST LOOK at what they’ve been able to do in 2 years. I can absolutely see them using these funds and documentary to shed light into all kinds of things, maybe the race issues in Britain? They’re going to throw all kinds of money at interesting, intelligent, creative people that I’m sure will be people of color who wouldn’t ordinarily have gotten the opportunity to realize their work. Harry is such a MAN. like a complete whole man. They’re very lucky to have found each other. Megan is the EXAMPLE of try and adapt. Tried it, adapted, tried it, adapted. Love it.
Excellent! Considering Meghan’s worked with Disney+ and NBC and Harry’s got a mental health doc/series with Apple, it means they’ve got a taste of what working with each of them would look like but still chose Netflix. It could mean Netflix has offered them something that no other network did, they liked the working environment and the money was probably the best,
Excited to see what they produce
Netflix also has more of an international audience. I think it’s seen in almost 200 countries so it will help with the Sussexes global domination😂😂
YES. I am totally here for witnessing the Sussex global domination while the BRF becomes less and less relevant.
Also, not everything they produce may be geared to the US/UK market. They may have niche projects that focus on Commonwealth countries, or in other languages.
Seeing the reactions to this has been nothing short of entertaining. The bitterness and sour attitudes of some have been hilarious to watch. I will never forget how that family and media fumbled the bag that badly and now it’s clear they want and need them back and with the home purchase and this deal and the signing to the speaking agency, their nightmare is coming true. I’m so proud of them and hope they continue to flourish.
It also proves that the one year review was never asked by the Sussexes….never! when their part time model was rejected, they were like ok, good bye! they are done being senior royals
Given the discussions, they have been able to have since leaving who can blame them? some senior royals do absolutely nothing of importance
You know what’s funny? Let’s be honest…They are the senior royals. They just aren’t doing things by the BP book and aren’t following the grey suits. Congrats!
@Lemons — I know what you mean and you are right, it is funny; I also think it is sad to have incompetent people surrounding you! how can you make the same mistake twice? first with Diana and now Meghan?
In their fear to see another Diana, they created a ‘Meghan’…….everything she does has dozens and dozens of magazines talking about it!
that one year review clause was equivalent to king george saying, you’ll be back. they haven’t learned from history so they are doomed to repeat it time and time again.
Fumbled the bag is an understatement. The UK as a country is losing out on money and free PR for U.K. tourism, fashion, merchandise, retail and restaurants. The Firm has lost out on two valuable assets that could have improved their image outside the U.K. and through out the Commonwealth.
The U.K. press are losing out on ad revenue, newspaper sales, syndication money for photos and other content and international television opportunities.
The screwed up BIG TIME. This will damage them for decades to come.
Agreed. No to mention Covid has damaged them immensely as well and they’ve been laying off employees and the lawsuits brought to them by hundreds, if not thousands of people.
Right?
I’m an American who- (despite obsessive Celebitchy reading) has made it a point of pride to avoid tourism around the contemporary Royal family. History, sure but I’m not interested in being one of those “American tourists” that the UK royalists claim justify the return on maintenance for the Royal family.
But every bit of that position is out the window when it comes to the Sussexes. My first and only celebrity-written cookbook? The Hubb Community Kitchen Cookbook.
I can’t be the only member of this newly-unlocked demographic. Even The New Yorker has been covering the Sussexes way more than any other royal that I can recall.
Meghan reaches an audience that even Diana couldn’t get and the courtiers and BRF are massively jealous. Instead of treating Meghan well they shunned her and now the people who followed Meghan right in the BRF will follow her right out. And many others who see the racism for what it is will also be tuning out. It also doesn’t help that the other young royals participated in the shunning, with Kate literally giving the cut direct at the commonwealth service. So many people are going to see that for the bitch move that it was and realize that not only are the old royals stodgy and racist but so are the “young” ones.
@madamex – you’re not the only one, I never followed the royals before and NOW I’m all over it (when it pertains to M&H). I ordered a cookbook from Luminary Bakery because I love their work with socially and economic disadvantaged women. I would have never heard of this charity let alone follow their Instagram page had it not been for Megan.
PS. the cookbook contains several things I’ve never heard of before but it’s beautiful. the recipes and stories of the women inside are very touching and I’m sure will make me feel good and happy every time I pick it up. I’ll think of these women as I’m baking and it’ll be a reminder that your story isn’t written in pen.
The British press will lay an egg over this. I think they still thought Harry would come back!
I can’t wait for a reaction from The Keens © who will try to use their Institutional power to wage war against charisma and people/ networking power. How many more articles will they place? How many more subscribers will they buy? How many more gossip blinds wiiI’ll they drop?
I’m *so keen* to watch.
Can someone shed light on the hater meltdowns on Twitter? They wanted Meghan gone and off the taxpayer dole, they got both those things and they’re still mad? Make it make sense.
You can’t make sense of it because it doesn’t. If these people genuinely wanted Meghan to not be using taxpayer money then they should be happy with this deal and encourage more. Because the more deals and money they make, the less likely they’ll come back and take taxpayer money (which is apparently the issue with Meghan)
But that was never the issue. The main issue was seeing a biracial woman enter a space that people thought only white women should enter and then seeing that woman leave that behind (when most of them would beg at the gates of BP to stay) and become successful
+1 Sofia, spot on
They wanted Meghan thrown out of the country in disgrace and being completely broken, alone and destitute afterwards.
Meghan and Harry and Archie choosing to leave and being happy and successful afterwards wasn’t supposed to be possible and it’s infuriating them.
Exactly. This is why they get so riled up over any kind of compassion shown to her. She’s not even allowed a kind word, let alone active support. It’s why the British media tried to doxx Sussex squad member, to scare them and get them to run away from Meghan. It’s why they tried to mock Tyler Perry and disrespect his property. They know better than to try it with the Obamas though.
DM has radicalized them to hate Meghan unconditionally.
The insane hate against her existed from Day One, outside the Fail, but they definitely aided it. The Fail and tumblr have allowed the racists and haters to post against her unchecked for four years.
It doesn’t make sense, but part of the reason for that is they don’t want Meghan to be successful – they don’t want her making money, buying a house the majority of people can only look at in magazines, being sought after by major media companies, and being happy and glowing and in love with her husband and a beautiful child – they wanted Harry to leave her, they want her to be destitute, desperate, depressed – its really pathetic and disturbing when you think about it.
As long as Meghan is getting her revenge by living her best life, they will never be happy.
(I am sure Meghan doesn’t think of it as revenge, but you know how the saying goes.)
Hate is a really strong emotion which overpowers the common sense of the hater. Even if, for their own sanity, they should be ignoring the object of their hate, a hater rarely has introspection.
At this point, Meghan’s existence is completely antithetical to theirs. How could/why did she rise to such a level and status in life? For the racist and the unconsciously biased, every story so far has told them that this fairy tale was meant for them, or someone who looks like them.
I hope M+H realise that these haters are a very important part of their fan-base. Their obsession means that they are guaranteed eyes and clicks for any and all of their projects. In fact, some of them will consume their content many more times than even their genuine fans, further boosting the performance of their projects.
So thanks, haters! Please keep hating. Meghan, Harry, the Sugars, the Squads are all deeply grateful. 😘😊🎉
Right??? I mean, looking at Finding Freedom. They couldn’t wait to buy the book so they could tear it apart. I’m sure Omid was heartbroken at their motivation as his book appeared on the NYT bestseller list.
Apparently it surprised the heck out of some royal press and Meghan haters. They’re already trying to down play it saying that they won’t get paid until they make something. But a well connected talent agent in the U.K. stated that their SIGNING FEE was $50 – 100 million and that the whole deal could be upwards of $250 million.
https://twitter.com/jonathanshalit/status/1301206161023070210?s=21
Still that didn’t stop the haters for speculatively nickel and dime-ing all of the money away trying to estimate how much money they will have to pay other people to get their projects made.
Even after taxes and paying their lawyers and agents, they’ll still be rolling in the dough.
We cannot rely on the same people that has been feeding us lies about the couple to start reporting on the truth now. Their entire mission in life since May 2018 has been to downplay the relevance of the couple, specifically Meghan. It will literally break them to have to admit that they were wrong about her, so the next best thing is to continue to downplay her success. My prediction is that they will be the first to watch and give one-star reviews to whatever contents Harry and Meghan produce.
He’s a talent agent, not the press.
I was referring to the royal press and Meghan haters downplaying the worth of the deal. We can expect more of these spinning in the coming days. Probably they will get some random experts soon to downplay the deal.
Did the royal courtiers and reporters really think that a couple that gets global media coverage Everytime they take a shit wouldn’t get a deal like this? It’s literally free global advertising everytime they launch a project with Netflix. I guess I could see that in their white supremacy that if Andrew and Sophie failed and darling Pippa Middleton that supposedly was going to eventually steal Harry’s heart failed after she cashed in her Royal connections in America by immediately bombing out of her Today Show gig and then failing again with that disastrous book then surely Meghan could do no better
And the irony is the royal courtiers and reporters have helped H&M get to this point – they cover their every move breathlessly and bring them lots of attention (even if its negative), so they’ve helped their image as international icons – and the more they attack them, the more “normal” people notice and realize how BSC the british media is about these two, which again, helps them.
I’ve never been this excited for someone to earn their millions. Get your coins, Meghan. Also, I can see how Harry fell in love so hard and so fast. I’m really looking forward to the kind of content she will produce (and Harry, too). Both have been really successful in their separate projects.
Yes, as soon as this broke yesterday I thought of that story in June. And the phrasing from Netflix – “we’re so pleased they have CHOSEN Netflix” – yeah, it sounds like there was a bidding war. Harry and Meghan are getting PAID and good for them.
I am interested to see what kind of content they produce and create, wonder how long we have to wait LOL.
The most interesting part of the NYT article was the correction at the bottom stating
”An earlier version of this article states incorrectly that Prince Harry and Meghan draw income from the Duchy of Cornwall. This arrangement came to an end when they left Britain.”
We knew they were working towards financial independence, but I don’t think we knew they already were? Guess that clears up who is paying for what for the haters and they can stop speculating that Charles is paying for everything.
yup, I thought that was interesting as well. I thought for sure Charles was still supplementing them somewhat, but I guess they really did say “no thanks Pa, we’re cool” and walked away.
Which makes me wonder exactly what is the point of the 1 year review? I thought they were taking some money from Charles so during that review they could talk about whether they need to adjust that or something. But they aren’t so I’m back to square one,
@Sofia, someone on CB suggested recently that they believed the 1 year review was put in place to let the RF save face. I’m beginning to agree with that as well. I think the RF knew they weren’t coming back but wanted to appear as if they still had one hand clamped on the back of Harry’s neck.
@L84Tea: I can believe that too. They don’t seem to be coming back nor would they really want to. So it definitely just seems it’s a “Don’t worry! Have a small chance/hope that we can get Harry back!”
The 1 year review was just to make it seem like there was a chance Harry and Meghan would fail. They were never going to fail. It had nothing to do with H&M but with the royal family trying to save face, like L84Tea says.
I’m so glad they don’t take money from charles. When they said financial independence they meant it and it’s happened within 6 months. One less thing the British media can hold over their heads.
100% – its just one less tie for them. Unfortunately the British media will never be satisfied. H&M take no money from the Sovereign Grant or the Duchy. They pay rent of £18k a month on Frogmore Cottage, they gave up using HRH and their brand, its still not enough.
Even if they got their dream, Harry leaving his family, returning to the BRF, paying penance for daring to leave and Meghan stripped of her title … they would hound her until her death just like Diana. It’s sickening.
Dalloway at 7:45….This….!!!
Very happy for them and for their independence more than anything else.
I really feel that the media and the family wanted them to fail and come crawling back.
Continue to thrive Harry and Meghan.
Send us more nature docs!!!! Every time Planet Earth is on BBC he comes running in and so excited. Congrats to them, they totally deserve it all.
Take that Harry..
Great news, good for them. Excited to see what they’ll create.
Any chance the press will back off just a bit at least since now everyone knows their plan?
I try to be optimistic lol.
The BM will likely scrutinize every move these two make for many years to come. In fact, I don’t see things changing in this regards until the kiddies are old enough to be followed and written about for their activities.
Question for those familiar with the industry- how realistic is the $100M to $150M speculated value of the deal? It seems really low to me. I may have a very skewed perception though. Obviously there are provisions based on how many times each production is streamed, etc, but I can’t quite figure out what the supposed dollar value of the deal means. Is it similar to a VC endeavor in the sense that this is seed money Netflix is giving H&M to get them started on their production company?
Makes me wonder if bigger studios like Disney made bigger offers, but stipulated things about content, rights to IP. I think H&M would not go for the most lucrative contract but the one which allows the most freedom and flexibility on what they want to produce and who they want to hire.
.Also interesting- Netflix got a really nice increase in stock value on Tuesday, one day before the NYT article. Went from $529 at closing on Monday to $550 at 10am Tuesday, peaking at $559 at closing on Tues. Stock price has been pretty stable since. Possibly not related, but I doubt it. I would guess Netflix closed the deal on Monday, lawyers on both sides going over the final language in the contracts over the weekend. Market seems confident about H&M’s ability to bring in revenue. It’ll be interesting to see how Netflix performs the rest of this week.
I’ve seen elsewhere that the £100m to £150m is the signing fee and the actual full value could be around £250m at an estimate. No idea how that compares in the industry though.
this is basically the seed money – so Netflix is giving them a lot of money (and I imagine it is a LOT) to create content and they will use the money to do that – so its not like H&M are pocketing the 100 million or whatever and saying thanks! They’ll take the money and use it to fund their projects, which I’m sure will include a salary or some type of payment to H&M.
That’s my understanding anyway, I think we have some industry people here who probably will tell me I’m wrong, lol.
I bet Disney made a much bigger offer, because they’re Disney, but H&M may not have liked the conditions that were attached (or maybe it was for a longer term or something.)
Thanks, makes the most sense to me. I think my confusion stemmed from the language, especially since one of the figures cited in valuations of company partnerships for such-and-such collaboration include projections of the expected revenue over a stated time period. I interpreted the $100M in that light.
Lainey mentions that Netflix is known for not giving many or any notes so they don’t interfere with the projects. Disney of course does interfere a lot more. Plus Netflix is much more global than Disney at this point.
Congrats to H&M! When life gives you lemons, make really expensive, multi-million dollar lemonade.
I can imagine Harry has great ideas for content…his work on wildlife conservation in Africa such as relocating the elephants that was written about in FF has nature documentary written all over it. Pair that with a top-notch cinematographer and Harry’s upper-class British narration and you’ve got a gorgeous series.
Wondering if the Spotify news was what they told Willileaks to see if he is still spilling.
When they left a lot of people wondering how they’d support themselves and “what is Harry gonna do ????” and all that concern trolling. Well, here it is. Both employed. I’m sure the house and frogmore have just been paid for, many times over. NYT also ran a retraction and confirmed that they don’t receive ANY money from the taxpayer or the Duchy so that’s another stick the BM can’t beat them over the head with.
Honestly, the BRF refusing their half in half out plan was a blessing. They pushed H&M right onto the global platform they have now which is hilarious cause it’s the very thing they were afraid of.
Wow good for them& hope the content is good. Interested in this inspirational women animated program& who they will be working with generally. Kind of feel for Prince Edward as this was his dream. Wish they could throw him a bone somehow.
If they have stuff already in development just shows how little the royal beat know about their plans etc. They all (including Omid) got info straight from the NYT article& statement from the Sussexes & Netflix.
The bitterness is something to behold. People who told Meghan to go back to America, who were calling for ‘hangers on’ like the Sussexes to be axed after Andrew’s newsnight disaster and who were cheering on the Queen for rejecting the half in option-are the most angry. They literally did what these critics wanted – not representing the BRF anymore so spotlight should be back on the heirs, they are paying back Frogmore, not getting any public funding& they are still mad. So what was the real issue?
The smear campaign shows how insular the royal circle is. Anyone with sense would know these racial& xenophobic smears would bring more attention to Meghan especially where black twitter exists & wouldn’t just ‘put her in her place’. Focusing on her so much even negatively raised her profile& helped make this deal possible. Now the press probably has the Firm by the balls because they know the Firm’s involvement in the smears& other stuff and for what?
I know there will always be something the critics will bring up (probably titles, wedding costs or breaking Queen’s heart by turning back on royal duties for Hollywood cash next) but kind of want them to pay the Frogmore reno costs now& end that angle.
In addition to the bitter rota, the sunflower brigade is threatening to cancel Netflix and are generally salty. Couldn’t happen to better people.
Also, when the news first came out Chris Ship said he needed to confirm this with sources first, which was so hilarious because it had been reported in the New York Times. The RRs really have lost all their Christian Jones leaks haven’t they?
They’ll miss the Crown then. LOL.
ABritGuest, I actually thought of Edward too because of his past production work. He is one of the only BRF members who has been noticeably kind/ polite in his public interaction with Meghan and Harry and at their wedding. I always thought that besides Charles, he would be the other BRF member that Meghan could probably get along with due to their love of the arts. If the Sussexes’ Netflix projects involve any of their patronages or associated orgs in the UK, it would be interesting to see if they have Edward involved in some way since he’d be local.
And yes, the BRF has painted themselves into a corner with this debacle. How long do they think they can keep the media wolves at bay now that they don’t have easy access to info on Meghan and Harry? These things will always come back to bite you in the butt. Always, even if it takes a while.
this is really great for them. they have taken a lot of losses since january, but the bigger the risk the greater the reward in the long-term. many were way too quick to call them losers.
I have the feeling that they already paid it back but are letting the racists get frothy about this…and then next year, when the review is up they’ll say “we paid it back a year ago!”. Then the racists will be trolled for posting articles about the renos that were not true
There is so much loathing there is a refrain about the Queen”really having” custody of all her great grandchildren so she can seize Archie or they urge Harry to take Archie away from Meghan so Archie can be with Uncle William and Aunt Kate.
Excuse me while I LOL at the haters’ tears. I remember a few months ago on two different sites, posters telling me that Harry and Meghan weren’t that popular and their popularity was waning with Americans because of the Sussexes’ actions. Mind you, all HM had done was move to Tyler’s house and tried to live. Business is business and no one cares about that HRH, except royalists and the BRF. Their success was never dependent on those letters. It was always about them. I’m so freaking happy for them. They can do as they please without restrictions and there’s not a damn thing the BRF, the BM or the racists can do about it. Keep winning & living, Harry & Meghan!
I think history is going to judge Meghan and Harry really kindly. The stupid DM won’t matter. It sucks what they have gone through, but they are going to be viewed as a couple that paid their own way and didn’t live off the taxpayer.
I hope the content/series/whatever goes well. I do think a lot of people go for that inspirsrional space and it ends up being dull. Even Oprah found it challenging when she rolled out her network. Not being critical, truly hopeful.
Its sounds like they plan to mix it up. Also, I think it’s more about being ethical, meaning diverse persons in front of and behind the camera, diverse stories and positivity. So I don’t think it’s going to just be about well being type programs like Oprah started out with. Expect to see movies, animation, hard hitting documentaries and even interviews. Someone mentioned a documentary of the Invictus Games – that would be awesome, I think. Watching Harry behind the scenes with the athletes and their families and seeing all those involved and what it takes to bring it together. I would watch that gladly because it’s something I’ve wondered about.
Fantastic. This makes a ton of sense for them and for their brand. Many people predicted this for them earlier in the year and nice to see it happen. I think they will be successful, especially if they follow the Obama model and hire the best talent for their production company. They need the right partners but I think they will. They also will have an enormous platform to highlight their causes and I really love the possible move into children’s programming and would love to see them work with Geena Davis(her institute has done a lot of work around gender images in children’s programming)
Also it has been heartwarming to see how many powerful black people in entertainment have supported Meghan in light of the racism she has faced.
I’m laughing at royal rota and certain members of the royal family. Seriously, the song in my head right now is “Since you’ve been gone”. Good for them!
I’m so happy for them. Bravo Hharry and Meghan!
Me, too! I was skeptical at first, but when I read that Variety (not the BM) had confirmed the contract I clapped with joy!
So happy for them. Things are really falling into place.
Harry and Meghan buying their house was a big clue that they had already signed a mega deal. I’m happy for them.
Some people have theorized that the the Firm and the BM don’t want H&M to be successful because they would make the others royals and royal adjacents realize that they don’t have be apart of the RF. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’ve come to realize that it could only be Harry and Meghan. Beatrice and Eugenie are examples of non working royals, who have jobs outside the firm, with their HRH titles, and yet their success is moderate. Even with marrying so-called “wealthy” husbands, they both sign up for the royal government housing project at KP (credit to the commenter who said it first). I doubt W&K could muster up any impactful life outside the Firm, if they would even want to. Andrew is shady as hell inside the RF, imagine if he was actually on his own. Even Zara uses her royal connections for her career, and she’s clinging on like the rest of them. Don’t even get me started on the randoms in the family nobody cares about. Nobody else, with exception of maybe Charles, could survive out side of it. Harry is the only one. He’s been building connections and goodwill beyond the grasp of the royals for years, he has ambition, which the others don’t, and with Meghan by his side he is set up for success. I’ll be watching how the Firm deals with the Cambridge kids. I hope they will be allowed to have personalities and do well, especially Charlotte and Louis, or will the family control them more than they tried with Harry.
It’s the 21st century, and instead of learning to be a walking anachronism, it would be best if all the Cambridges found their own careers. Learn a trade, practice public speaking and hand shaking for appearances, but find gainful employment that doesn’t revolve around an accident of birth.
Honestly, if Will and Kate truly care about their children’s futures they would do that for all of their children. Prepare them for life outside the Royal bubble because there is no guarantee the monarchy will live on forever. If not George, then especially Charlotte and Louis. A lifetime of being forced to stay in the shadows and in service to the future king is a life of misery and could end up creating contemptuous, useless human beings. Just ask Princess Margaret and Prince Andrew.
The RF had a real chance to modernize their work and upgrade their image in the 21st century, with H&M leading the way. Harry and Meghan had ideas to freshen up how the royals deal with the media by widening their press reach beyond the royal rota. The impact could have been meaningful and actually tangible. They should have gotten ridden of fluff patronages and focused on projects like Invictus, Hubb, and the Princes Trust. This would have really justified the taxpayer expense if they actually helped people with real results. The royals could have piggybacked off of the global interest in H&M, which would have retained their relevance. A rising tide floats all boats and they were to stupid to see it.
Excellent insights, @JT. You have to believe that, somewhere, in some palace, the gray goblins, and certain Keens, are already sweating it out, wondering what this means for Charlotte and Louis down the road. By the time they are adults, the monarchy – if it even still exists – will look very different. They are most likely going to need to carve out their own paths in life, and H&M just provided the perfect roadmap for them. They won’t need to rely on the Firm to survive if they don’t want to. I’m pretty sure that’s keeping the gray goblins awake at night, realizing all the power and control they are going to lose over the next generation of royal children. Once Betty Windsor is gone, they are not needed, and although there will be a few left in service, they won’t call the shots like they do now. The entire monarchy just got a new org chart whether they realize it or not. When Charles takes the throne, he’ll implement it, and some of those in the family might regret turfing out the only members of the family that could have helped them navigate the new reality.
The thing is that all of these royal grandkids and nephews etc, should have been outside the royal bubble from day one. Apart from the heirs, they should all have focused careers and professions. William should have studied international relations or law and had some a serious stints with overseas embassies or some government entity, not popping in and out for some charities. Them working full time jobs, no matter how well connected, should not be considered a conflict with attending annual garden parties , or showing up and supporting charities. Lots of these charities have corporate underwriters so it’s a ridiculous point. The fact is the Sussexes have a lot of energy, ideas, and want to really and truly work. That is why the royal family felt so threatened by their popularity. They weren’t all of a sudden going to become idle and keep couch surfing mansions. The only thing the BRF should do at this point is congratulate them and move on.
This why is I don’t believe anyone outside of Harry (since he was born into the RF and Meghan was successful in her own) could succeed. They just aren’t smart enough to look forward and be ahead of the changes. Princess Anne had that interview saying that the young royals shouldn’t try to change things, but that is exactly apart of the problem. What worked 100, 50, 20 years ago doesn’t work anymore. What knowledge could W&K give to their children regarding being working royals or just being independent of the Firm if need be? Nothing. Nobody has any skills beyond being royal. Harry is successful with all of his many projects because he wanted to be outside of the royal bubble. Harry having to fight for and then ultimately lose funding from the royals was a blessing, because he then had to seek outside connections. Nobody was preparing Will for his role beyond treating him better because he was the heir, and I’m already seeing the same treatment for George. The RF will remain in the same cycle because they are stupid and who give a damn about Will inheriting the crown estates. That has always been the case, but clearly all of the royals want the type of attention that H&M receive, which is why they were pushed out.
L4frimaire: Regarding how Will shouldve studied international relations and done some stints in embassies… Meghan actually did those things! She co-majored in International Relations, she worked at the embassy in Argentina(?), and was workin with the UN. She has more education and experience than the Future Future King, she actually took the training path that he should have, and Working Royal Princess representing the UK Internationally wasn’t even her career path at the time! And yet, she still somehow was found wanting, didn’t fit in, didn’t do things “the right way,” etc. It really goes to show that the RF is hardcore obsessed with all the things that don’t matter to the detriment of the things that do matter. Things like nail polish color, car doors. clothes, hair, jewelry, vacations, gossip, PR, leaking to the press, thrusting your children into the spotlight, slow rolling any and all work, etc, etc. How you go about doing the work (“work”) is so much more important to them than actually doing the work and getting results. Image and petty internal office and family politics rules everything with them to the detriment of literally everything else.
Mark my words I believe Meghan will work with Kamala Harris in the future if she becomes VP Kamala has stuck up for meghan on Twitter also Harry may have the opportunity to work with Dr jill Biden on veterans issues.
Do you think Kate sent flowers to congratulate them?
William is probably fuming that they were able to create another project and make real money. He probably blames the burden of the crown on not being able to do the same thing. Have fun cutting ribbons for garden openings!
I was wondering if anyone in Harry’s family privately congratulated him. I was thinking maybe Charles or some of his cousins. But I think Fergie is most likely.
I think so as well. Maybe Edward as well since he wanted to succeed in showbiz. I don’t see his brother reaching out to congratulate him on negotiating an amazing deal and earning real money.
I honestly believe that many outside of the royal and aristocracy are invested in seeing this couple become bigger than the BRF. That tells me that the Queen and her offspring have not built much goodwill over the years. Their PR isn’t as good as they think.
I agree. People like to root for the underdog especially when they have been treated unjustly.
I hope in the future kate (finally see the light) will send charlote to the usa to spend time with H&M and learn how to be a succesful even when she is not the direct heir to the throne.
Kate would never do that! I am willing to bite my hand if she ever does
Do you see Kate as a decision maker in anything? she is a typical passive aggressive type women
Lol
Kate and her family might seek out a titled person for Charlotte to marry an aristo or a Prince from another royal family.
Saw this on twitter – My Royal Account.
‘I’m beginning to suspect Harry is not unhappy and has no plans to abandon his wife and child to return to the U.K. and live in his grandmother’s renovated servants quarters.’
Kudo’s to you My Royal Account.
Heh, shade at its best!
Yes it is, and I wanted to steal it as my own but Meghan has inspired me to be a better person.
I just knew that Netflix deal was about to drop! And it happened just as I hoped it would. They let everyone write about how they were failing, how nobody in Hollywood wanted to work with them, how people were only taking meetings with them to be close to royalty yet not taking them seriously, how their money was running out, etc…and then BOOM, the Netflix deal drops. Absolute perfection! Brilliant! Egg all over the haters’ faces. They are big mad over there on that little island. I love it. Yesterday was like Thanksgiving combined with Christmas for H&M supoporters. 😂
Congratulations to the deserving couple. I am looking forward to content they will produce. Lovely to see that sometimes “Love Conquers All”.
I wonder if the animated series based on inspiring women is the Rebel Girls podcast and books? My 7 year old will lose her mind if that happens.
OMG what if its based on “She Persisted” by Chelsea Clinton??? The Sussexes and the Clintons, the conservatives’ heads will explode, lol.
Eh, I’m not thrilled at the idea of Meghan being close with the Clintons, given the fact that they were close to Epstein and Maxwell. The Obamas seem like a better option. Liberal and black, lmfao!
This is so exciting for them! I’m really happy for them. They have great business sense and the pulse on what their followers are interested in. They really do remind me a lot of the Obamas, which is pretty much the highest compliment I can give. Very smart match joining forces with Netflix. They’ll do great things, no doubt.
They are creating and building the life they have chosen. They have professional help, friends and more to come. Harry and Meghan moving onward and upward. BRF, moving downward into obsolescence.
I happy for -and proud of – them.
My mom used to say “ living well is the best revenge.” I am so proud of them for living as safely as possible, letting info out on their terms. Sparkle on H&M with your new life. I am sure the Royal Rota is going insane re-reporting information second and third hand. Too bad they will be too busy to notice.
This being a multiyear and signed on with both couple, I predict it’ll fetch them up to 600MILLION(not including speaking fees, sponsorship/endorsement deals). @kaiser I think this is separate than what variety reported. I remember reading that NBC (makers of suits) are developing something with them. Either way I doubt they’ll just be working with one. Between them they already worked with netflix(rising phoenix), disney(elephant), apple (harry and oprah doc) and I bet their next move will be with audible and spotify. HBO must be regretting signing off on that gary jenatie trashy nasty cartoon. They lost a big chance by associating themselves with that racist creep.
This is a sweet revenge. As they say living well is the best revenge. The RF must be shocked by this. With every attack the sussexs rise and strengthen their bond. They underestimated them and now have no control whatsoever over them. Harry and Meghan will be earning their wealth unlike those living off their generations of stolen lands and titles. I bet billy is angry hearing about Netflix working with them AGAIN after he tried to get them to do a silly show but they rejected. The uk monarchy is soon to be a laughing stock. They no longer have the same prestige and respect they did after WWII.
Apparently they are too shocked to send congratulations to him as the keepers of all proper etiquitte should do.
Sorry but just imagining Kates bitchface now… LOL.
I keep reading the comments because the reactions are so good! I’m echoing what everyone else is saying. They could have had a bad b&#$@!! This is so on brand for them and prestigious. This is FREEDOM! They’ll get money to give to artists and talented people to spread a lovely message and make more money and then probably use that money to do a separate charitable foundation and enact even more change and good. It’s been a while since I’ve shipped a couple and “brand” so hard but gd – I love this! Congrats to the happy couple! Once you’ve tasted freedom and being in control of your own decisions they is NO WAY they’re going back to that family. They’re in CHARGE of something huge and real. They don’t need them AT ALL. I can’t wait until the next time they’re all in the same room. I’m sure it’ll be REAL humbling for the RF. And I’m hoping somewhere in a deep dark room someone in that family is stunned and quietly proud of them but especially Harry. I wonder if they knew what they were going to do together when they met. Megan could have done a million predictable things once getting married into the royal family, but she REALLY wanted to do good with the prestige this relationship bestowed upon her. This is THEIR way of doing that.
My biggest pet peeve and I’ve only really heard it applied to women but it’s when someone will criticize their method of “doing good” or “spreading awareness”. Like when Beyonce did a whole homage to HBCU culture and a friend actually said “well if she really wanted to support these HBCU’s why not just give the money directly to students”. well yeah but she’s an artist and this is HER way of supporting. where’s your check?! ok rant over.
Social media and comments section are rampant with posts like boycotting netflix, cancelling subscriptions and so on and so forth. Typical.
The dozen haters who talk to themselves incessantly with a dozen accounts each? I’m sure NetFlix will miss all 12 of them and their subscription fees.
Harry and Meghan want to thrive not just survive-the Uk tabloids and some of the royal family does not want them to thrive-they don’t want them to survive in any shape, form. or fashion. I am so proud of this couple for standing up to the racist bullies to show how they will thrive and survive. Harry is definitely leading the way for minor royals in the future to do something more meaningful and work worthy with their lives-The dumbness of the Brits-think about all that money that can be saved to do other necessary things in the UK.-A slimmed down monarchy saves money for the UK government-this high price government welfare needs to be revamped for the future-To keep doing the same old thing eventually will cause money crunches for their society-I don’t think the monarchy will go away anytime soon-Reasonable people know deep down this is the way to go and modernize it so it can exist for generations to come.-It bugs the hell out me to see minor royals who will never never ever sit on the throne standing around for their share of the pie –