Prince Harry’s Invictus Games documentary was released on Hulu on Sunday in an apparent snub to rival streaming giant Netflix – with which the Duke of Sussex has a five-year deal.
It is reported Prince Harry was “allowed” to share the documentary by Netflix with the Disney-owned rivals for one of two reasons, according to a public relations expert.
Speaking to the Mirror, PR expert, Jane Owen explained: “There’s no way that Netflix didn’t know about the documentary. A deal like that with so much money would have had very specific regulations about what hoops Harry would have needed to jump through to make a show with another network.”
Jane added it could be a sign of a “cooling off period” with the streaming giant Netflix.
She explained further: “It’s possible that Netflix had first refusal of the Documentary and let it go. They may be moving away and severing ties. Alternatively, it could be a power move of Netflix if they have something even bigger in the works with Harry.”
The one-off programme brings together interviews Harry gave ABC News during a visit to Whistler, Canada, for the Invictus Games One Year To Go Event.
‘Prince Harry’s Mission: Life, Family and Invictus Games’ began streaming on Netflix’s Disney-owned rival Hulu on Sunday (February 25).
It includes Harry telling Good Morning America reporter, Will Reeve, he “felt grateful” for being able to visit King Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
The PR expert also called the move a good “opportunity” for Hulu to collaborate with Prince Harry. She added: “So it’s going to be either one extreme or the other – either Netflix is not interested in Harry anymore OR they have something else in the works that they are putting all their attention in and they don’t want to dilute their attention with a different show.”
Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a £80mn contract for a five-year Netflix deal, which was signed in 2020. Speculation over and renewal of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix contract remains to be rife, and followers will be keen to see how the latest release affects either side’s thoughts.
Netflix’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria revealed earlier this month Harry and Meghan were working on “a couple of unscripted things”, which are thought to be documentaries, as well as a film and series. They were all said to be in “very early development” at that stage.
Discussing the possible business benefits of Disney-owned Hulu collaborating with Harry, Jane explained: “On the other side – This is also an opportunity for Hulu which is owned by Disney, to get into the “Harry business” which is still a massive audience, as shown by this interview in fact.”
