Latest news with #StreamingGiant
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Why Harry and Meghan's new Netflix deal is a ‘downgrade'
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have signed a new 'multi-year, first-look deal for film and television projects' with Netflix, the couple has announced. Five years ago, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex secured a lucrative contract, thought to be worth more than US$100 million , with the streaming giant after quitting as senior working royals in 2020. The first-look deal, which means Netflix will have the first option on Harry and Meghan's projects, was described by the Sussexes as 'extending their creative partnership'. But PR and crisis expert Mark Borkowski described it as a 'downgrade' and suggested Netflix was 'pivoting away' from Harry and Meghan. Harry and Meghan in Germany in 2022. Photo: dpa Borkowski said the deal was a long way from the jackpot figure of their original contract. 'I think Netflix has done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn't deliver, and they've taken that deal off the table, and they've given them a modest one,' he said.
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Nail in the coffin' for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's $100m Netflix deal was poor sales of her As Ever wine
Another 'nail in the coffin' for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's $100million Netflix deal was that her Napa Valley wine 'isn't selling', an insider at the streaming giant has claimed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also fallen out of favour with A-listers, especially the former Suits star, MailOnline's source has said. 'No one in Hollywood rates them anymore or wants to be around them, especially her', the insider said, adding: 'People are bored with them'. Netflix, who have been her As Ever brand's business partner, is believed to have declined to renew the couple's $100million five-year deal in September after their two most recent shows flopped. The Duchess of Sussex has 'had everything going for her ' but the viewing figures for With Love, Meghan have still been 'dismal' and there will be no more shows made, one insider has said. Meghan's lifestyle show failed to break into Netflix 's top 300 programmes for the first half of 2025 and was even thrashed by multiple seasons of Suits. While Harry's passion project documentary Polo ranked at a disastrous 3,436 out of 7,000 shows and was only watched by 500,000 people. Netflix has been working with Meghan to launch and promote her products, some of which have been made by their preferred suppliers, including her jam. MailOnline's insider at the streaming giant has said that Meghan's rosé, which promises to 'capture the essence of sun-drenched outdoor moments', has not been a huge success and this was another 'nail in the coffin' for the $100million broadcast deal. 'The wine isn't selling', they said. Meghan has most recently launched a range of wines but a Netflix insider has claimed the sales have been poor Commenting on As Ever's claims the wine sold out in an hour, the source added: 'It's small batch' - meaning it was only ever produced in a small quantity. Netflix believes the launch has shown that 'there isn't a demand for her wine from a mass market point of view' and this means a bigger and more lucrative supermarket or department store deal is 'unlikely', the source claimed. Customers had to purchase a minimum of three bottles for $90 or six bottles for $159, and 12 bottles for $300. This mean there was a minimum spend of $119, as buyers were also charged $20 for shipping, plus taxes. 2025 has been billed as the year the Sussexes would relaunch. As well as Meghan's new TV show and lifestyle business, the couple have been out and about at concerts including multiple Beyonce shows. There was also a flurry of activity on Meghan's Instagram account, including a number of personal family video such as twerking when about to give birth. 'Meghan hasn't posted on her own socials for nearly a month', MailOnline Netflix insider said. 'The issue is that there's no consistency and people are bored with them. Many stars go silent and in the background are building their brand and equity but it feels like Harry and Meghan are losing their way even more. 'The Netflix deal not being renewed will have a big impact on them as they are running out of options of who will work with them and reap in the future. 'As Ever has a good fan base and a strong database of subscribers to its newsletter but consistency is key and it's not delivering on this so people will quickly be bored and the novelty is wearing off now for most'. MailOnline has asked Netflix and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to comment. 'There's no animosity from either side', one source told The Sun. 'Things have just run their course. 'Netflix execs are well aware Meghan's priority now is her own brand, and they won't play second fiddle to that'. She also posted a video of her and Prince Harry dancing in a hospital room ahead of Lilibet's birth as part of a flurry of Instagram activity Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's hopes of a new Netflix deal are 'dead', a source was quoted as saying earlier this week. The Duchess of Sussex has 'had everything going for her ' but the viewing figures for With Love, Meghan have still been 'dismal', an insider at the streamer reportedly said. A second season of With Love, Meghan, was announced by the Duchess herself as the first season came out in March this year as part of the couple's $100million deal with the streaming giant, which expires this year. But a Netflix source has claimed: 'This deal is dead. 'She had everything going for her—name, platform, press—and the numbers were dismal. 'They're just waiting for the credits to roll. They're letting it expire without drama. There's no appetite for anything new.' Former executive editor of the American edition of Ok! magazine, Rob Shuter, has claimed that the streaming giant will not offer them a new contract once it concludes. 'The interest just isn't there anymore. They went from buzzy to background noise', a Netflix source told Mr Shuter. Some experts have even claimed that Netflix will want 'to keep a vague hand in' with them in case Meghan and Harry ever split up, so they can get in first with a docu-series on a divorce. There are rumours that they could leave the door open for one-off projects with the Sussexes, although apart from their fly-on-the-wall documentary, Harry & Meghan, most of their shows have been considered flops. MailOnline has asked Netflix to comment. As Ever, which showed Meghan cooking, gardening and hosting friends, was outperformed by hundreds of shows in the first six months of this year. Millions more people watched repeats of Suits, which made Meghan Markle a star before she met Prince Harry. Its 5.3million viewers put it roughly on a par with the second series of BBC hit Peaky Blinders, a 2007 series of Gossip Girl, kids show Grizzly and the Lemmings and a true crime show called Worst Ex Ever. Yesterday MailOnline revealed how two of North America's leading brand experts have claimed Meghan Markle is a 'fraud' and As Ever is all about 'milking' her fame from marrying Prince Harry to 'sucker people into buying her stuff'. Canadian lawyer Phillip Millar and California marketing executive Camille Moore, stars of popular The Art of the Brand podcast, believe the launch and concept of her lifestyle business has been one of the worst they have ever seen. 'I love sh***ing on people who suck. Meghan Markle sucks as far as I'm concerned', Mr Millar has said. 'It [As Ever] is run by a confederacy of dunces working on this platform that is just maximising the value from her fame that came from Suits and being a part of the Royal Family and they're just milking that for everything they can'. Millar and Moore, who have advised big businesses including Mercedes-Benz, L'Oreal, Olaplex, Dior, Van Cleef and Air Canada, say Meghan's business has been a 'royal disaster'. Mr Millar believes that As Ever lacks authenticity because he claims that Meghan is 'pretending' to be a domestic goddess and most people don't believe it. But he added that the people who have rushed to buy her wine, jam, crepe mix and tea shows 'how gullible a lot of consumers are'. Canadian lawyer Phillip Millar and California marketing executive Camille Moore, stars of popular The Art of the Brand podcast, believe the launch and concept of her lifestyle business has been one of the worst they have ever seen He said: 'She's not substantial. I'm agitated by her so much because it is a deliberate misrepresentation of what she is because she thinks she can pretend to be that while actually being this and sucker people into buying her stuff and every step of the way she's failing because it's not legitimate. It's not intelligent. It's not well executed. 'There was nothing about her brand that was good from the start to a distinguishing eye. She was a fraud what I can see from the beginning who was just using opportunities to advance herself. Her brand wasn't one built on substance. It was based on using people. 'They're not executing anything well on any show on anything. But it shows how gullible a lot of consumers are'. Mr Millar said that investors including Netflix appear to have failed to ask serious questions of Meghan before the launch. 'People who consider themselves smart because nobody ever questions them are running this business and telling her to use a playbook that works for products where scarcity matters. Confectionery scarcity doesn't matter. He added: 'There's an egocentric approach to it that if you achieve some level of celebrity, you think you can build a brand, but that's the start of your brand. You can make short-term money from it, but it's not a long-term strategy'. Phillip believes Meghan has failed to see what she really is - a 'disruptor' rather than a homemaker. He said: 'Her brand should be I'm a disruptor. I go into TV. I make noise. I go into the Royal Family. I make noise. She should brand herself as a rebel, but she's not consistent with what she is. 'She should be a disruptor and sell products that are not that expensive and that represent disruption, but that audience is not spending a lot of money'. Ms Moore said Meghan is responsible 'for really probably having the worst brand execution to date', adding: 'She's had zero ownership in this business. It's effectively like she's just like labeling her brand'. She added: 'I feel like she's doing such a brutal or good job, depending on how you're looking at it, of getting this like free PR and then absolutely s***ing the bed'.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Netflix announces return of VERY controversial series - despite it sparking waves of complaints for 'tone deaf and ignorant' scenes
Netflix has confirmed the return of a controversial series that sparked a wave of complaints from viewers over its 'tone deaf and ignorant' scenes. The streaming giant has officially renewed Squid Game: The Challenge for a second instalment - and also revealed when it will land on screens. It first debuted in 2023, following on from the original South Korean drama, but without the life or death consequences. Netflix bosses have revealed a second series of the show will be available to stream from November 4, with a brand new set of contestants. In addition, they've officially ordered a third series, cementing Squid Games' future on the platform until near the end of the decade. A teaser said: 'This time, 456 brand-new contestants will enter the ultimate test of strategy, alliances, and endurance as they compete for a life-changing $4.56 million prize.' It added: 'Inspired by the iconic original series with shocking new twists and never-before-seen games season two raises the stakes higher than ever. As players face elimination at every turn, only one can emerge victorious. New players. New games. New rules.' The new series comes after Squid Game: The Challenge was previously savaged by critics, pulling in a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 48%. Squid Game's original drama launched in 2021 and aired for three seasons before being cancelled by the streamer. Fans previously slammed the competition spin-off, saying Netflix brought the competition that the Squid Game TV series satirises to life as they condemned the streaming platform. 'I see you completely missed the point of the series. Good job,' they wrote. 'How are you so ignorant to the entire point of the show that was on your platform,' another wondered. 'Like did you even watch it?' 'The fact this even exists proves they didn't understand the point of the actual show - it's going to be so disappointing how popular this will likely be,' a third penned. Many pointed out that Netflix represents the very forces of power that the series is trying to speak out against and is ignorantly proving the point of the series. Netflix also revealed they've officially ordered a third series, cementing Squid Games' future on the platform until near the end of the decade The new series comes after Squid Game: The Challenge was previously ravaged by critics, pulling in a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 48% 'Making a reality game show based a show that critiques capitalism is still super cringe,' one user wrote. Another commented: 'I hate that this exists. Squid Game's entire premise was a satire of greed, class warfare and exploitation of the working class. So naturally a large corporate entity like Netflix just saw dollar signs $$.' 'Squid Game is a show about people struggling with finances, being played with and humiliated by the rich. It is not subtle about it, and mentions some Korea-specific circumstances and events,' one viewer said, adding: 'Making a fun happy-go-lucky game out of it is, IMO (in my opinion), tasteless.' Meanwhile, three anonymous contestants previously spoke to Variety, claiming they had to film for hours on end in zero degree Celsius weather. 'This is not a Bear Grylls survival show. If they had told us it was going to be that cold, no one would have gone through with it,' the first source shared. They added: 'Imagine you're playing Red Light Green Light for six hours. What game is that? This isn't a game.
