TV Executives Feel That Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Are 'Naive' About How Their Netflix Deal Works: Source
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Netflix deal doesn't seem to be all rainbows and butterflies — especially after the former's animated series Pearl got canceled before it even aired.
"Executives feel that in some aspects Harry and Meghan appeared to be naive about how their deal would work," an insider told The Sun. "Certainly there was a belief that they thought that Pearl would simply be presented and released. The word was that they were saddened the show was not picked up. But of course people forget that each project faces vetting and the business has the right to veto projects, delete scenes and oversee editorial direction in their work."
The TV and film consultant, who has worked on other Netflix projects, believes their lucrative deal isn't straightforward.
"On the surface this large sum seems enormous, but the truth is that their deal is all about budgets when shows get commissioned," they said. "Sure, they may have a couple of million in an advanced development deal to produce ideas, concepts and film pilots, but they have not been handed one hundred million. In reality, those sums would be handed over to cover the entire production cost of the project, with Archewell providing a breakdown on fees for all aspects of the making of the show. Included in that would be a broad understanding of the profits too for the company. Some deals see companies achieve as much as 20 percent of that total, while others can earn half that figure — every deal is different. But fees for writers or executive producers, like the Duke and Duchess, are often specific amounts outlined in production budgets."
"Some forget that Netflix is a business, so the commissioning executives and legal team have to act in the best interests of the brand," they added.
The insider noted that "just because they are royalty, they are not treated any different to others in the arena of program commissioning."
"Sure, getting in the door for meetings may be easier than for most others, but Netflix still hold projects to account on what they feel is good value for money or be of interest to audiences," they stated. "The deal may be millions on paper, but they are absolutely not allowed to make whatever they want."
