Netflix saw a significant subscriber increase in the UK because of ‘Harry & Meghan’

I have such clear memories of the British media reaction to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signing a deal with Netflix in 2020. The British media was scared, enraged, shocked, appalled, and amazed. But one of the funniest talking points was always “British people don’t even watch Netflix!” They tried to make it sound like no one in Britain subscribed to Netflix. That Netflix was some kind of niche, America-only streamer and that British people wouldn’t have to watch any Sussex content on Netflix. Crash-cut to late 2022, when the Harry & Meghan docuseries debuted with crazy streaming numbers, and that docuseries alone caused a surge in subscriptions globally. Especially in the UK.

Higher prices and the success of the Harry & Meghan documentary helped Netflix’s UK sales climb over £1.5bn last year, newly published accounts show.

Sales at Netflix Services UK increased 12pc from £1.38bn to £1.54bn in the year ending December 2022, defying a more muted performance globally for the US technology company. The online streaming giant was lifted by the launch of a six-part documentary series following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which debuted on December 8 last year. The premiere became the most watched new subscription TV show of 2022, with 4.5 million viewers for its first episode according to data from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB).

The six episode series followed the royal couple’s early relationship, wedding and controversial decision to leave the UK for California. The Sussexes signed up to a multi-year deal to produce shows for Netflix in 2020, reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.

The popularity of Harry & Meghan helped Netflix push through price rises without a drop-off in subscriber numbers.

[From The Telegraph]

Even in a purely business story, the Telegraph is still seething! It’s really amazing and notable that British people have continued to support Harry and Meghan, even years after the Sussexit. They were subscribing to Netflix just to watch the docuseries, British people bought and read Spare in droves, and every time Harry is in the UK, he still gets a rock star reception. You wouldn’t know it from the coverage in the British media though.

PS… Ten bucks says that British Netflixers are also streaming Suits in droves.

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

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