The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed a new multi-year film and television deal with Netflix, defying speculation earlier this year that the streaming giant would not renew its contract with the couple.
Harry and Meghan first agreed a five-year partnership with Netflix in 2020, reportedly worth $100 million (£78 million), after stepping back from their roles as senior working royals. The agreement gives Netflix “first look” rights on any projects produced by their company, Archewell Productions.
Recent media reports had suggested that the deal might not be extended after some of their projects struggled to attract large audiences. The duchess’s lifestyle series With Love, Meghan failed to break into Netflix’s top 300 shows in the first half of this year, while Harry’s sports documentary Polo ranked 3,346 out of 7,000 shows.
Despite this, the renewed deal will cover multiple genres and includes Netflix becoming a partner in the duchess’s lifestyle brand As Ever, launched alongside the first season of With Love, Meghan.
The duchess said: “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As Ever brand. My husband and I feel inspired by our partners… to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision.”
Upcoming projects include a second season of With Love, Meghan later this month, a Christmas special in December, and Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, a documentary on orphaned children in Uganda’s Masaka region, still affected by the HIV/Aids crisis.
There is also “active development” on other Archewell projects, such as a planned feature adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling romantic novel Meet Me At The Lake.
The couple’s content ventures have met with mixed success. In 2023, their $20 million podcast deal with Spotify ended after just 12 episodes, with the company’s head of podcast innovation, Bill Simmons, controversially referring to the pair as “grifters” on his own show. Reports suggested they had not met productivity targets needed to receive the full payout.
Harry also stepped down in March from Sentebale, the charity he co-founded to help children orphaned by Aids in Lesotho, following a boardroom dispute. A spokesperson said he is considering launching a new charitable organisation working “in the same space in the region.”
Netflix has not disclosed the financial terms of the renewed multi-year agreement.
