With just days after the first three installments (out of six) of the controversial documentary that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle filmed for Netflix aired, it has been leaked that the explosive Harry & Meghan docuseries will likely open the door for more insider stories about the Life of the British Royal Family
At least this is the Professor’s opinion Simone Ferriani, entrepreneurship expert at Bayes Business School in London specializing in film and media. According to him, Netflix’s strategy of delaying the announcement of the docuseries to two years after the signing of the $ 100 million contract with “the Sussexes” in the fall of 2020, worked great, and could be the forerunner of a documentary series about the royal family. A strategy that has seen Netflix re-emerge after that its shares are down more than 25% at the beginning of the yearfollowing the announcement that subscriber numbers had dropped for the first time in more than a decade.
According to Prof. Ferriani, Netflix would count on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to rekindle its appeal, and in fact for the moment the strategy is succeeding, given the excellent ratings of the series. Harry & Megan’s content marketing is working perfectlyso much so that Netflix has also announced two animated series for children based on members of the royal family.
It is clear to me that the two projects announced by Netflix immediately after the signing of the agreement with Harry and Meghan were only attention baits in preparation for much more globally attractive material based on the private affairs of the British Royals. Ultimately, their romance is the most coveted content they could ever hope to produce.
Harry & Megan numbers on Netflix
In total, 2.4 million people have already watched the first episode on launch day, last Thursday 8 December. That figure alone is a record for the studio, being the highest single-day viewership success for any Netflix show since the platform joined ratings body Barb. For comparison, more than double the corresponding audience was interested in the latest season of The Crown.
Ferriani added that the decisions are equally strategic on the part of Harry and Meghan.
It’s a deal breaker for both Netflix and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, especially given the timing of the docuseries, which strategically precedes Prince Harry’s surprisingly titled memoir Spare, and comes on the heels of the stories cover photo of Meghan in The Cut and Variety. I also think that the disappearance of the Queen will not affect the unfolding of this path that much, indeed, I think we should expect more and more insider stories on the dynamics of the Royal Family. Meghan and Harry have stated on many occasions that they want to step away from the toxicity of the spotlight, yet, ironic as it may seem, they have done quite the opposite over the past 18 months. First Oprah, then the Spotify deal, now the Netflix docuseries and soon Prince Harry’s book. The reason? Business is business.
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