‘They're starting to pull back and are less committed to her brand': Netflix ‘don't know what to do' with Meghan Markle
The Sussexes recently rolled over to a new 'first look' deal with the streaming giant following the expiration of their five year, $100 million contract.
That contract produced the wildly popular Harry and Meghan 'docu-series' spilling royal secrets, but subsequent projects like Polo disappeared without a trace.
Under the terms of the updated deal, Netflix has first run at any Sussex projects in the pipeline but is under no obligation to green light or fund Harry and Meghan's ideas.
Celebrity chef Jameson Stocks, who said earlier this year that he declined an offer to work on Markle's cooking series, believes Netflix will struggle to utilise the Sussexes.
'I think Netflix will get to a point where they won't know what to do with her anymore and she might end up in an office job at Netflix headquarters,' he told the Express newspaper on Thursday.
The TV chef also speculated that Meghan's decision to focus on the cooking and lifestyle space may end up limiting her career prospects.
'She won't stray from cooking, and Netflix along with other investors have invested heavily in her and her lifestyle brand (As Ever),' he said.
'Netflix's recent temporary contract extension, which is paid per show, suggests they're starting to pull back and are less committed to her brand than they were a few years ago.
'It seems to me that Netflix is placing a few more bets now, hoping to recover some of the money they've lost…. Netflix are a powerhouse, they can take the hit financially.'
The warning comes after Netflix dropped the 'season two' trailer for With Love, Meghan.
In the trailer, Markle showed a glimpse of her upcoming celebrity guests, including the likes of celebrity guru Jay Shetty and model Chrissy Teigen.
While the timing of the trailer appeared to show the streamer's confidence in the Duchess of Sussex, those episodes were actually already in the can and were shot back-to-back with the first season last year.
It is understood the first original project under the Sussexes' new deal will be a Christmas-themed special entitled With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration.
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Mr Robinson also made full admissions to the jury of his own dodgy record keeping practices, which he said were common across the Territory helicopter industry. After almost a decade in the industry, Mr Robinson alleged he had worked for two other businesses which had similarly failed to properly record flight hours. Mr Robinson agreed he continued to 'break the rules' while working at Mr Wright's company. '(Mr Wright) would say 'pop the clock for this trip',' Mr Robinson alleged. He also said Mr Wright 'controlled all aspects of his aircraft regarding maintenance scheduling'. Mr Robinson said employees 'absolutely' followed Mr Wright's directions. 'We were young men, we looked up to him,' he said. 'Everyone looked at Matt as an idol. He'd say 'jump' and they'd say 'how high?' 'He had an aura about him. 'Everyone wanted to be around him, work for him, everyone bent over backwards to try and be a part of what he was doing.' The trial continues.
