Following reports that Prince Harry and Meghan’s deal with streaming giant Netflix has been ‘downgraded’, the Duchess has revealed the real state of affairs during a sit-down
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has finally addressed her Netflix deal in a candid sit-down chat.
It’s been a packed few weeks for the former royal, who popped up at the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week before receiving an award alongside her husband, Prince Harry. However, her most recent outing saw her dive into a series of topics, including the changing deal terms with streaming giant Netflix, which the couple has worked with since 2020, when they stepped back as working royals.
The multi-year deal was one of a series of high-profile business ventures that they created as they began to fund their own lifestyle.
It was reported at the time to be worth £75 million, and their offerings for the streaming giant included their self-titled documentary series, which covered their love story and royal exit, Meghan’s lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, and Polo – a documentary series looking at the world of the elite sport and the lives of some players.
Not all of Meghan and Harry’s productions with Netflix have been well received, with even their bombshell documentary that broke viewing records accused by some critics of retreading old ground.
This year, it was announced that the couple had signed a new, more flexible deal with Netflix, which gave the company a ‘first look’ option on any of the couple’s ideas, with the Sussexes then able to take these elsewhere if the streaming giant passed on them. This was, by many critics and commentators, seen as something of a “downgrade” by one PR expert, after some of the lacklustre offerings from Harry and Meghan had struggled to appeal to a wide audience or receive rave reviews across the board.
However, during a sit-down with Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 2025, Meghan explained to Alyson Shontell, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer for Fortune, the details of the couple’s ongoing working relationship with Netflix, providing a more positive outlook than some had assumed.
“My husband and I were in an overall deal with Netflix, and then not just similar to Higher Ground in the Obamas’ deal, once that had come to its term, the extension of it, which was such an incredible sign of the strength of our partnership, was now being in a first-look deal,” Meghan explained.
“Which is also exciting, because it gives us flexibility to go to our partners first, and then at the same time, to be able to shop content that might not be the right fit for Netflix, but has a home somewhere else.”
The Duchess also said she was “grateful” for the “creative partnership” she has with Netflix, who work with her in conjunction on her As Ever lifestyle brand.
Despite Meghan’s positivity about the new chapter with the streaming platform, PR expert Mark Borkowski previously said he believed the first-look deal to be a “downgrade” for the couple, explaining that Netflix had, in his view, “done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn’t deliver”.
Meghan and Harry also inked major deals with Penguin Random House – which published Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare – and Spotify back in 2020, the latter of which was estimated to be worth £18 million.
Source: Mirror
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