Higher Ground Ends Partnership with Netflix
Higher Ground, the whimsical production company created by Barry and Michelle Obama in 2018, is ending its collaboration with Netflix.
The duo had a profitable first-look agreement with Netflix for eight years, but that contract will expire at the end of 2026 and won’t be renewed.
Recently, the former president appeared in the news, looking to twist the narrative in a more favorable direction.
“We had a partnership with Netflix,” Barry mentioned. “We are currently in the process of transitioning to a more independent structure where we can collaborate with different studios.”
This deal initially came about thanks to Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, who raised funds from Obama supporters—around $600,000—and, interestingly, Sarandos’ wife, Nicole Avant, was an ambassador to the Bahamas during Obama’s presidency.
Some reports praise this lucrative agreement, which reportedly brought in $50 million for the Obamas, just months after Susan Rice, a close friend of the former president, joined Netflix’s board.
But what exactly did Netflix gain from partnering with the Obamas besides the political cachet that often comes with such figures?
From my perspective, not a whole lot. They produced three feature films, about ten obscure streaming series, and six documentaries. Much of this content received attention, even winning an Oscar for Best Documentary, but there hasn’t been a standout title that people are still talking about.
So what’s happening now? If the news isn’t flattering for the Obamas, we might never hear the full story. The media often goes to great lengths to shield them from criticism.
It’s hard to believe that leaving the Netflix deal was a choice made by the Obamas; who really walks away from a “first-look contract”? Such contracts are typically advantageous for those involved.
A “first-look deal” usually means the production company, like Higher Ground, gets a hefty sum upfront to develop projects while Netflix holds the right of first refusal. This change seems more like a business strategy by Netflix to cut losses on an unprofitable contract.
