Netflix Finally Found An Industry They Can’t Make Money On

By TeeJay Small
| Published 12 seconds ago

Netflix has made many changes to its core business model since it first launched as a DVD-by-mail rental service in 1998. Their pivot to streaming later killed Blockbuster and revolutionized how people consume media, before they expanded to become a production house of their own, rivaling such massive corporations as Disney and Warner Bros Discovery.

With so much success and luck on their side, you’d be hard-pressed to find an industry untouched by the tendrils of Netflix in 2026. Evidently, it seems as though Meghan Markle has found an Achilles’ heel in the studio’s business plan, as the streamer just dropped out of a partnership with her $64 candle retailer.

Netflix’s Deal With A Brand That Didn’t Exist

For those not in the know, the former Duchess of Sussex currently runs a lifestyle brand called As Ever. The brand sells scented candles, wine, and giftbox sets of tea and jam that clock in at over $300 a pop. If you’re thinking this sounds pretty far outside of the scope of Netflix, you might already be overqualified to serve on the company’s board. Apparently, Netflix signed on as partners to this venture back in 2020, when the streamer inked a multiyear overall deal with Meghan and her husband, Harry. Among other things, this deal resulted in the production of multiple Netflix originals like Harry & Meghan.

Of course, As Ever didn’t exist at the time that deal was signed. Instead, the overall agreement basically saw Netflix signing on as partners in anything and everything touched by the retired royal couple. For outsiders looking in, this deal and others like it seemed to signal that the streamer was thriving and prepared to take risks. Fast forward six years, and you’ve got major cutbacks as Netflix cracks down on password sharing and rolls back some of its biggest contracts. The streamer has also become famously cancel-happy for some of their fan-favorite originals, axing such titles as Santa Clarita Diet, Glow, Mindhunter, and Dead Boy Detectives just to name a few.

Netflix Isn’t A Scented Candle Company Anymore

Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has officially exited the scented candle game and downgraded its overall contract with Harry and Meghan to a nonexclusive first look contract. The streamer recently performed a similar downgrade with Barack and Michelle Obama‘s Higher Ground Productions. This isn’t necessarily a signal that these partnerships are over, but it seems likely that Netflix is no longer interested in automatically bankrolling every idea that comes their desk like parents of a budding entrepreneur.

In a statement to THR, reps for the As Ever brand declared, “We have experienced meaningful and rapid growth, and As Ever is now ready to stand on its own. We have an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share more.” So if you’re in the market for a $20 leather bookmark or a $32 jar of honey, you’re still free to put that cash right into the pocket of the British royal family. But if you were hoping for a Stranger Things brand collab in the near future, you’re probably out of luck. It’s just as well, really, since the Upside Down doesn’t seem like the kind of place loaded with pleasant scents, and Hawkins almost certainly reeks of stale cigarette butts.