Entertainment
Netflix Finally Found An Industry They Can't Make Money On
By TeeJay Small
| Published
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.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for March 15, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
To draw attention to.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
FOCUS
Hurdle Word 2 hint
To start up.
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Hurdle Word 2 Answer
CRANK
Hurdle Word 3 hint
Move.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
SHIFT
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Murky.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
MUDDY
Final Hurdle hint
A truck.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
LORRY
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 15, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love to be in control.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Greedily control
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Green: Toothed wheels
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Blue: Portmanteaux
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Purple: Bull___
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #1007 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Greedily control: BOGART, CORNER, HOG, MONOPOLIZE
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Toothed wheels: COG, FEAR, PINION, SPROCKET
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Portmanteaux: BLOG, MOTEL, SMOG, SPORK
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Bull___: DOG, DOZE, FROG, HORN
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for March 15, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a film buff.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Best of all
The words are related to film.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe an iconic film ceremony.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Academy Award.
NYT Strands word list for March 15
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Director
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Actor
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Sound
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Academy Award
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Picture
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Song
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Actress
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
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