Netflix deal to end

[AtIusvue]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/royals/35969847/prince-harry-meghan-netflix-deal-axed/

Netflix deal is over

• Both decided a statement won’t be released “Publicly, there will not be a statement and of course, if things change dramatically, they’d be open to a one-off project down the line.”
• Talk about Paramount plus

It’s been pretty obvious for a while. No talk about the Archewell productions arm, the film they were making etc.

How long can As ever last when they won’t have NF to back it up with WLM infomercials.

Yes!

The twerking video release was to attract big attention - nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t “sharing a lovely, fun moment” - no way. Meredith Maines along with Meghan knew that it would cause a stir and boost M’s followers - which it did - job done.

It’s an interesting compare and contrast. Meghan’s video garnered some 47m views on instagram. Meanwhile, the Wimbledon instagram account posted on their feed a video of Kate entering Centre Court for the Women’s Final and being applauded by the crowds. It garnered 26.3m views and was by a long way the most-watched video of the entire tournament (the next most-watched - the two champions dancing at the ball - had 14.8m views)

So one video deliberately intended to be eye catching and newsworthy, and well promoted (Meghan specifically talked about it on her next podcast etc) did its job very well. I’m sure Meghan and her team were rightfully delighted by that.

However, another video of an unplanned, spontaneous moment - just the woman in question doing her job - also did incredibly well at getting attention (when posted by a third party, too, not even Kensington Palace) even when not promoted at all. It’s hard to compete with the latter.

That's very interesting, thanks @Serenster

A very good example of the difference between a sustained campaign to build reputation and an episodic one to generate flash-in-the-pan dopamine rushes.

Believable, not belief!

All the deflection in the world will not change reality.

Netflix is in business to make money. The CEO wants profitable projects to keep shareholders happy and to keep his job. Continuing to invest shareholder resources into failing project partners is a quick way for Ted to get fired.

H&M have failed to make money for Netflix and have been a very poor return on investment. Therefore, they will be let go.

It is not personal. It is business.

As ever spells reputational damage for Netflix. It's known they are involved yet Meghan is let loose on Instagram promoting products no-one can buy.

Some people make a lot of the fact that Netflix have said nice things about them - but it's bad business to slag off the other parties to the contract.

Netflix will have got their pound of flesh out of the contract, and they won't want to put off future sign ons by criticising them.

Spotify was different - he wasn't working for them any more I don't think.

Whilst we are comparing stats, Meghan has 4 million Instagram followers, The Prince and Princess of Wales have 16.9 million.

From a quick look she is doing pretty well compared to her fellow Suits cast members. Her problem is that while she clings to the titles she is always going to be compared to the big royal hitters and she can't keep up.

Oh and Stacey Solomon has 6.1 million, Meghan would do well to look at her feed as it's really engaging social media stuff. She obviously knows what she is doing, or gets great advice.

Go Stacey!

I have to say I didn't really know who Stacey Solomon was but Oh her home at Asda range is not to be sniffed at. It was someone on these threads who mentioned it & I have towels in my downstairs loo which were as cheap as chips and look lovely. (It was on the thread which degenerated into cabbage bowls. ) But Stacey Solomon , now I know who she is seems pretty genuine and selling well priced homewares. I wish her well. & yes I think she is the sort of person who can make good money. But it seems to me she isn't pretending to be anything other than she is.

I think M no longer has the A list - people will pay any price for her stuff , and it isn't well crafted enough ( cf David Linley - OK I know furniture etc not quite the same as spread and pancakes ) but she isn't quite aiming for mass market affordable like Stacey S.

Part of Meghan problem is that she isn't aiming at mass market affordable but that's the quality of her goods, from what I can tell, maybe I'm a snob about packet mixes. She needs to pick a lane rather than expect people to pay inflated prices for average products.

I think that’s absolutely her problem - the mismatch between the cost and marketing on the one hand and the naffness and ordinary-ness of the products eg, I don’t think the food claims to be organic. So what kind of foodie person would be seen with a packet mix?? Making biscuits is kindergarten stuff if you’re a serious cook. Clearly she’s aiming at a non-foodie but aspirational, pretentious or gullible demographic.

But when the products themselves aren’t the star, you need a totally aspirational image behind them and Meghan isn’t really that to enough people. I think that’s absolutely her if her image continues to decline, or if she ends up looking stupid or desperate, how can As ever survive?

I don't As Ever will survive for the simple reason that she will lose interest in it. Even the Instagram page is basic, a generic photo now and then. If she wants to sell a lifestyle she needs to present a lifestyle, frequently and with fun. It's hard work and Meghan doesn't seem to have the tenacity to keep going on anything for very long. It's a pity because I do believe that with a different approach she could have been moderately successful with a lifestyle brand.

I think she has made so many missteps, not least of all the fiasco with the original name and then stealing the name from a much smaller company, I also think she really misjudged using her kids to promote her business and using them to garner interest in it.

I actually believe she was aiming for mass market, not Trader Joe’s type, but maybe getting her product into a Target or even a whole foods, , she clearly wasn’t going for an elite brand of luxury goods. The irony from the reposts of those who bought her stuff is that they really do look like her audience is more of a Sam’s club customer, I read one post where someone mentioned they really couldn’t afford her wine, so they would mix it with a less expensive prosecco to make it go further. 😯. It’s kinda sad really.

I watched (some) of the series. I don’t believe she’s actually interested in this stuff that’s the problem, she just thought it was a cash cow. She will dump it and she won’t share pictures of almost raw crepes again.

The thing is, she only had one thing to sell: her royal connection, which was becoming less and less through personal choices.
The Golden Goose.
Where does she go from here? A reality tv show, perhaps, which is what Tom Bower suggests that she wanted prior to meeting Harry.
Selling goods on a QVC type show? Perhaps.

Netflix is a passive investor in As Ever. This failure will go on the record in Wall Street financial analyst earnings reports as an example of a failed project that the CEO invested in despite ample warning (External: Spotify's comment of "f*ing grifters", Internal: Sub-par performance or cancellations of other Netflix projects).

Therefore, M has put Ted in a tight spot with investors. And Ted is a very ruthless individual...any person who makes it to CEO level in the absolutely vicious US entertainment industry is a real operator.

IMHO, M should be very wary of Ted's revenge for backing such an epic losing proposition.

Interestingly thats actually her own personal brand values - its the most unconsciously authentic thing about her - always aiming for dizzying heights of career and society but with nothing but a trashy character to pull her through.

As shallow as a puddle, as cultured as a clam, as talented as a ham sandwich and as transparent as a window.

Ad ever 'grandiose and delusional'

I thought it had been said - though I've no idea how true it is - that Ted Sarandos was a huge Meghan fan?

Probably he wouldn't push it to the point where it endangered his own position, but I guess it just might explain some of the poorer deecisions around Netflix's backing?

I guess TS continues to publicly back M because he doesn’t want to admit it was an error of judgment to have given them a contract. H may also want to keep M sweet in case H and M divorce.

You could well be right, JSMill, though I wonder if either H or M would want to sell a future story to someone who'd publicly dumped them

Then again they keep passing stories to such as the Mail, even while Harry's currently suing them, so who knows?

@BasiliskStare it was me who was praising the Stacey Solomon stuff! (Takes a bow) My spare-room bedding with a bluebell design would look lovely… if dh’s stuff wasn’t dumped all over it 😠

I can only imagine Netflix was hanging on for more royal fisticuffs. They were in tow when the Queen died, and I assume the plan was for lots more behind-the-scenes content. Instead they got stiffed with a quite boring and talentless duo - I didn’t watch the Polo thing - maybe it was riveting - but As Ever - what a yawn. And, as others have observed, it was just Meghan going through the Insta motions. That road was a bit too travelled.

It is quite interesting that we hear of how much Ted loves her when all he said in a 2025 Variety magazine interview was that the 2022 mockumentary was widely discussed and in his opinion that meant people were fascinated with M.

However, if in a 2025 interview, all Ted could reference was a 2022 project and is radio silent on all newer projects that is a massive red flag.

Also, last week was earnings season where the publicly traded companies have conversations with Wall Street analysts to discuss their Q2:2025 earnings as of June 30, 2025. Neither Ted nor the other executives on the call referenced H&M or any of their projects, despite name checking among others Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Guillermo del Toro, Catherine Bigelow, Noah Baumbach, Eric Bonnett, Leanne Morgan...

Netflix (NFLX) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Silence speaks much louder than words.

I think Sarandos really misjudged the interest in Meghan, outside of the RF, I still laugh at him using the Hermes blanket as an example, every real housewife had one of those blankets and years previously there were articles about how the Hernes blanket was made popular by the Real Housewives .I think he was a bit blinded by the global interest in the RF, and the massive interest in the Harry and Meghan series, rather than Meghan as a separate entity.

He really thought she could sell anything, I guess he has been proven wrong.

This is what he said in a Variety interview about Meghan’s lifestyle show, before it aired.

Why was she the right person to bet on?

I think Meghan is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture. When we dropped the trailer for the “Harry & Meghan” doc series [in 2022], everything on-screen was dissected in the press for days. The shoes she was wearing sold out all over the world. The Hermès blanket that was on the chair behind her sold out everywhere in the world. People are fascinated with Meghan Markle. She and Harry are overly dismissed.