Harry and Meghan deal may already be a win for Netflix

• "Harry and Meghan" dethroned "Wednesday" as Netflix's top series in the US on Friday.
• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle struck a deal with Netflix in 2020 worth a reported $100 million.
• The chair of a UK talent firm says the deal is "mutually beneficial."

Netflix's big bet on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appears to be paying off, as their new docuseries seems to already be a hit for the streaming service.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex struck a mega deal with the streaming giant in 2020 to produce content, which The New York Times and Us Magazine have reported to be worth around $100 million.

"It's mutually beneficial," said Jonathan Shalit, chair and founder of the UK talent management agency InterTalent, of the agreement. "Harry and Meghan are global names and Netflix is a global broadcaster."

Netflix debuted the first three episodes of "Harry and Meghan" on Thursday, the first release as part of its deal with the couple. Netflix will reveal initial global viewership figures for the series on Tuesday, when it updates its weekly rankings of shows and movies with hours watched the previous week.

But it's already showing signs of strength.

In the UK, the first episode was watched by 2.4 million people on TV sets on Thursday; the second episode was watched by 1.5 million people; and the third by 800,000, according to ratings from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB).

On Friday, it was Netflix's No. 1 series in the US, dethroning the hit "Wednesday," which is already one of the streamer's biggest shows of all time after just two weeks.

New Netflix content has a tendency to rise quickly up the service's daily top 10 lists, but it's a good early sign of the series' popularity.

"Harry and Meghan have something interesting to say," Shalit said. "They're questioning attitudes in the UK and around the world, and raising valid questions" about paparazzi and race. "They're creating a conversation that the world's talking about."

"Harry and Meghan" isn't the only piece of content featuring members of the royal family popular on Netflix.

"The Crown," the Emmy-winning Netflix drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, debuted its fifth season last month. The series came in at No. 2 on Nielsen's latest weekly streaming chart, released on Thursday, with over 2 billion minutes of viewing in the US from its premiere on November 9 through November 13. 

60% of its viewers in that time were over the age of 50, according to Nielsen. Netflix is likely appealing to a wide range of age groups with its royal family content.

Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last year was watched by 17 million people when it aired live on CBS, and was particularly popular among those in the 18-49 age range, according to Nielsen ratings.

Anecdotally, "the younger people in the UK love Harry and Meghan, and the older people don't," Shalit said. 

But Netflix has been hit with some backlash from public figures regarding "The Crown," with some calling for the streamer to include a disclaimer with the series that it's a work of fiction. Netflix has declined, arguing that it's clearly a dramatic series.

Shalit doesn't see any purposeful association with the royals on Netflix's part — he thinks they just want to be associated with people and subjects driving conversations around the world.

"Netflix just wants to have the most-discussed programs in the world, and Meghan and Harry are everywhere throughout the world," he said. 

Markle's Spotify exclusive podcast, "Archetypes," debuted as the No. 1 podcast on the platform in several countries, including the US and UK, for multiple weeks earlier this year. It has since fallen, but is still in the top 20 in the US at No. 19, and is No. 37 in the UK, as of Friday.