Netflix halts production of Meghan Markle's animated series Pearl; here's why

The two animated children's programmes, Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses were also cancelled by Netflix.

Meghan Markle

Netflix Inc announced on Sunday that it had opted to halt production on Meghan Markle's family series Pearl while it assessed animation content. As per Reuters, the company said in a statement that it dropped various projects, including Markle's, as part of strategic decisions on animated series production. It did not provide further specifics on its decision.

Last year, Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, announced that she would be an executive producer on Pearl through Archewell Productions. The show was supposed to follow the exploits of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by historical figures.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the couple's official titles. Archewell did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The two animated children's programmes, Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses were also cancelled by Netflix. The decision to remove these shows comes after Netflix announced a 200,000-subscriber loss in the first quarter, far short of its target of 2.5 million new members.

Netflix renewed its animated film partnership with Comcast subsidiary Universal Pictures last year, which was intended to help Netflix retain children's viewers.

On Sunday, Netflix said that it would continue to cooperate with Archewell on projects, including the previously announced documentary series Heart of Invictus. Athletes competing in the Invictus Games for injured veterans in The Hague in 2022 will be the focus.

Meanwhile, as per IANS, Netflix has apparently fired off several experienced journalists and writers working for its entertainment site, Tudum, which it only started in December last year, after producing a catastrophic performance for the March quarter.

The layoffs come just days after Netflix released its first-quarter earnings report, in which the company lost customers for the first time in over a decade.

Netflix's CFO, Spencer Neumann, previously stated that the firm would reduce part of its spending in order to save costs.

A Netflix spokeswoman told Protocol late Thursday that the website was a major focus for the firm and that there were no plans to take it down.

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