POLO

[Sunblessed]

Ha! They really are trying their damndest to make out they’ve not made a trashy reality show!!

https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/prince-harry-meghan-polo-netflix-series-rich-famous-stereotypes-1236243547/

POLO is now on NF. I don’t know if I’m brave enough to watch though!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5153729/amp/Who-DOES-Meghan-Markle-curtsey-to.html

“Curtseying, within the confines of the royal court, is not only a physical act but a political one, too. The rules and the pecking order can change, and they bear little relation to the order of succession.
Meghan will be expected to become swiftly au fait with who’s above, and who’s beneath, her and Harry. For his part, as guide and mentor, Harry will need to take her painstakingly through the protocol.”

Except he didn’t. Did she ever once curtesy to William and Catherine? I can’t ever remember seeing that. Protocol dictates that she would have to curtesy to them.

They are more than happy for the commoners to bow down and curtesy but don’t expect that they have to.

It's appearing under my "Recently Added" section on Netflix, but not in any emails, notifications, and you have to scroll right to see it in Recently Added.
That's a major blocker to frictionless viewing.

Yes, a few media industry watchers have commented on this. Normally when NF has a big new show they'll go all out with their algo to promote viewing. E.g. they'll put it in Most Watched, Top Ten (they are often criticised for manipulating their Top Ten in this way to attract more viewers with FOMO), it'll be the headline show with the trailer playing automatically.

With Polo they seem to be using the algo to hide it rather than promote it. I don't know why they are doing this. Possibly the outrage from animal rights orgs have put them in fear of bad PR? Or is it a test to see how well H&M can do organically, without any algorithmic push, before they decide whether or not to renew their deal? I don't know, but I've never ever seen NF be so coy about a blockbuster new show before. It is commercially counterintuitive.

My 'gateway person' is Jeremy Clarkson. I'm not sure there's even an emoji for that.

Well Netflix will also have obligations as a party to the contract I suppose. Once something has passed the basic stages of approval, they can put it out there how they want.

They have power as a broadcaster, but they're also going to keep wanting to secure big name contacts like the Obamas. So it was possibly considered the "safe" option to accept the Polo doc and low-key add it to the roster, whilst they're umming and ahhing over the cooking show.

Spotify might have binned them as grifters, but Spotify didn't get anything big out of them like Netflix did in terms of content. Netflix might be taking a punt that they'll get another tell-all in the future...

I wonder if it’s because H&M are not promoting it for Netflix or Netflix already realised it was not going to be a hit, so rather than promote it and it fall flat anyway, they decided to leave to see how it does on its own.

That being said, it has received a lot of positive media attention from the likes of People, Vanity Fair etc. which is already massive PR, so for it to garner such little viewing interest is definitely an anomaly.

Well yeah and that's the other thing I don't understand - why H&M are not promoting hell out of it either.

A NF exec was at that event with Tyler Perry. Perfect opportunity for MM to do some red carpet interviews with him and promote Polo. I don't understand why they didn't do that.

Promoting it would have came out of the budget Netflix gave them….so there’s no way they’re spending more than they have to. I’m sure getting the Wrexham docu showrunner must have cost them a fair few dollars

They must have had test audiences show that it wasn’t going to be popular.

Usually, a couple of days before a new releases- critics get a sneak peek of a few episodes. But they can’t publish until it’s actually released or maybe just before if they’re good reviews. Usually there’s press interviews around this time too.
I don’t think this has happened here. By the looks of it, the critics first look was when it appeared on NF like it did for the rest of us. Which says to me they all knew it was a dud and there was no point in spaffing more money up the wall. Hence no interviews, adverts promoting it.

For his part, as guide and mentor, Harry will need to take her painstakingly through the protocol.”*
Except he didn’t. Did she ever once curtesy to William and Catherine? I can’t ever remember seeing that. Protocol dictates that she would have to curtesy to them.*

He might well have done but she was having none of it - so did the big oppositional flex thing of bare feet, ripped jeans and hugs on first meeting and then making sure she publicly amplified that story.

It is kind of a power play isn't it. I mean, I would not take at all kindly to someone trying to hug me on first introduction. No way. And that's not because I'm cold or reserved or stuck up or whatever Meghan said to Oprah. It's because I've got normal and healthy personal boundaries.

An interesting point of comparison is the true crime doc, Into the Fire.

It's produced by Charlize Theron, but you wouldn't notice on NF unless you pay attention to the credits. She did a round of promo for it. It featured prominently on screensavers, emails and at the top of new listings. I saw it listed for about a week before I favourited it and finally viewed a little later.

It was excellent.

Eye candy 10/10
Content minus 100.
It would have been far more interesting to follow the mainly Argentina professionals rather than the spoilt brats who think they can play. A history of the sport and the Argentina connection would have been more interesting. Instead each episode was a rinse and repeat.

The professional players are the unsung talent who make the sport, unfortunately they have to indulge the rich kids who pay their way into the sport or rather their families do.
Also why didn’t they cover the women’s game. They focussed on a narcissistic tw*t whose wife was the real polo player.

I agree and it is culturally insensitive to not have the manners and dignity not to read the room and take the lead from your guests and the environment you are in in how you behave interactions.

Its also telling of your ignorance to then publicly tell such a bragging story where your attempt to covertly belitte your guests and elevate yourself.

We see through it. We know the ugliness we are looking at.

I feel it didn’t matter how good or bad Polo was, NF was going to put it out to fulfil contract obligations. Over the 5 years, perhaps there’s a set number of shows that they have agreed to commission. It looks like it will be 5, which sounds to me like the bare minimum needed over the course of 5 years.

That then leaves us with the cooking show. Which I’m pretty certain will be the last thing NF puts out before their contract is up in Sept. We know that it’s been filmed and we also know NF will put out any old crap (POLO). So it probably will be released.

We aren’t hearing any industry juicy bits about it though. You’d think they knew they had a date for release they would already be putting out info about the show, even if the official date wasn’t to be released yet. For example, rumours of special guests, what type of cooking its focusing on etc.

But we aren’t hearing anything. Which makes me think there’s no date that’s been set yet. Are they still editing? I don’t see how an 8-12 episode non scripted cooking series would take over 6 months to edit. I would have thought 3 months tops. So I’m assuming that post production has been completed.

Maybe it’s the hold up with ARO? Or like POLO, they know it’s unlikely to be well received ?

The only PR meghan has been doing in recent months is the glam housewive that lunches act, which fits into the lifestyle brand, so I’m guessing she believes the cooking show will happen. Otherwise she’s making herself look cheap for no reason.

Who said anything about budget for promo? Both H&M are always giving interviews, both sitdowns and on the red carpet. Mention Polo on the red carpet whenever a mike is stuck under their noses! It's not hard.

Instead there seems to be some weird code of omerta around the show like it's the showbiz equivalent of Mrs Rochester in the attic. I do not understand it. They want people to watch it, right? Then talk about it!

I didn't know Charlize Theron was connected to that. It was an incredible story but obviously very sad.

Except he didn’t. Did she ever once curtesy to William and Catherine? I can’t ever remember seeing that. Protocol dictates that she would have to curtesy to them.

I don't think that's true.

They are/were the same rank as Royal Highnesses, even though William is higher in the LoS. Royal Highnesses only curtsy or bow to Majesties.

I'm guessing that NF have to fulfil their side of the contract too so are happy to get something for their money then get rid of the pair of them no matter what crock of shit it is. They had the big guns with the documentary. Someone got carried away in the moment with the initial contract.

Curtsey by marriage. 🙄 how embarrassing

No, that’s not how it’s works. The article points it out.

Yes, but there’s always a promo budget

But doesn’t appear anything has been spent

I don't think the article is correct. And it is from 2017, when Meghan had no royal status at all.

My understanding is that HRH royals are not expected to bow to royals of the same rank, including royals from other monarchies.

"Having a His or Her Royal Highness title means you don't have to bow to another royal who also has an HRH title.

"The general rule of thumb to remember is that a Royal Highness does not curtsy to another Royal Highness," etiquette expert Myka Meier previously told People."

www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a43604344/british-royal-family-bows-curtsy-rules/

I think they only bow/curtsey to the monarch. But when in line take their place in order of succession? So H&M behind not only W&C, but also (on formal occasions) their children as well

William outranks Harry. The wife takes on the rank of her husband. So Meghan would have to curtesy. Even if Kate and Meghan were on their own without their husbands, meghan would still be expected to curtesy to Kate. As she would also with all the blood princesses but only if Harry wasn’t there.

There were lots of rules about who had to curtsey to who but these days I don't think many are used. I know that even when the late Queen was alive the advice was that you can choose whether to curtsey or not when she is visiting.