Meghan compared her and Prince Harry’s deal with Netflix to that of Barack and Michelle Obama with their production company Higher Ground.
“At the time, my husband and I had an overall deal with Netflix, similar to the Obamas’ deal with Higher Ground. When the deal expired, we got an extension. That was an incredible sign of the strength of our partnership, but now we have a first-look deal,” the Duchess of Sussex said at Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
“This is also attractive because it gives us the flexibility to go to our partners first and then at the same time buy content that might not fit on Netflix but is based elsewhere,” she added.
In 2020, Markle and the Duke of Sussex signed a $100 million multi-year deal with Netflix, nearly nine months after stepping back as senior members of the royal family.
According to the New York Times, the deal will see the couple, who married in 2018 and share Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, develop “documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming.”
“Our focus is to create content that not only informs but also gives hope,” Markle, 44, and Harry, 41, told the outlet in a statement at the time. “As new parents, it’s also important to us to create inspirational programming for families.”
So far, the Sussexes have released several shows under the deal, including the shocking documentary series Harry & Meghan and Markle’s lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan.
In July, Page Six exclusively reported that Prince Harry and Markle’s contract with Netflix was coming to an end, but that the former game show model would continue to work with the company through his lifestyle venture, As Ever.
Despite the “Suits” alum’s reportedly sluggish ratings for Season 2 of the show, Ms. Markle announced at the Fortune Summit that a holiday special will be coming to the streaming platform in November.
Meanwhile, Barack, 64, and Michelle, 61, founded American production company Higher Ground in 2018.
The former president and first lady of the US production company have signed a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce scripted and unscripted film and television projects in a bid to increase diversity in the entertainment industry.
In a May 2018 press release, Michelle said, “I have always believed that storytelling has the power to inspire us, make us think differently about the world around us, and help us open our hearts and minds to others.”
The couple, who married in 1992, have produced several films and shows through their deal with Netflix, including “Leave the World Behind,” “Fatherhood,” “Ada Twist” and “The Scientist.”
