The Times reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had signed a “watered-down” Netflix deal. The piece painted the agreement as a step down or less lucrative than their previous reported £74 million (100 million dollars) contract, a sign that their power in Hollywood was waning. The language was unmistakably loaded: less lucrative, mixed reaction, struggled to generate interest. Hollywood Reporter also reported it as a downgrade.

But here’s the problem: the numbers tell a very different story.

The Data Netflix Doesn’t Shout About (But We Have)

In Netflix’s own top-10 data for lifestyle and food shows, Meghan’s With Love, Meghan stands out. Released in March 2025, it racked up:

• 25.5 million hours viewed
• 5.3 million total views
• An average watch time of nearly five hours per viewer — unusually high for a lifestyle show.

For context, those numbers outperform or match many other Netflix lifestyle titles that industry media celebrates, such as Chef’s Table, Pressure Cooker, and Street Food: USA. Some of these other shows pulled in less than 5 million hours viewed. Yet coverage for those creators tends to be glowing, not skeptical.

The First-Look Deal: Standard Hollywood Practice

The new agreement with Netflix is what the industry calls a “multi-year first-look deal.” This simply means Netflix gets the first option to buy projects from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions. If Netflix passes, the couple can take them elsewhere.

It’s a common arrangement for established talent — Tyler Perry, for example, signed one with Netflix that was widely reported as a strategic win, even though its terms are likely similar to Harry and Meghan’s.

Yet when Perry’s deal was announced, the Hollywood trades framed it as “cementing his relationship” with the streamer. When Meghan and Harry do the same, The Times calls it “watered-down.”

Why the Disconnect?

It comes down to narrative bias.

Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the British press is famously combative, and negative framing has become the default. That bias seeps into coverage of their professional work, regardless of the actual metrics.

Instead of noting that With Love, Meghan beat dozens of other Netflix lifestyle shows in audience size — and that her associated As Ever product line sold out repeatedly — the article emphasizes the drop-off from Harry & Meghan, their debut documentary. It ignores the fact that most follow-up projects in the streaming world draw smaller audiences, and that 25+ million hours viewed is still a solid result in a competitive category.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t about whether you like or dislike Meghan Markle. It’s about media consistency. If industry-standard deals are framed as wins for some and downgrades for others — even when the numbers are strong — readers should ask: What’s driving the difference?

In this case, the numbers say Meghan’s Netflix audience is real, her content performs competitively, and the couple’s production company retains creative freedom to shop ideas elsewhere. The “watered-down” label is more about press politics than business reality.

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