Barack, Michelle Obama To Create Shows For Netflix: Reports

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. 

(Photo: AP)

Former US president Barack Obama is in advanced talks with Netflix Inc to produce a series of high-profile shows, reported the New York Times.

Under the terms of a proposed deal, Netflix will pay Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama for exclusive content on the video streaming service, New York Times said.

According to Reuters, the company declined to comment on the report.

Obama will not use his Netflix shows to respond to President Donald Trump or conservative critics, and has instead talked about producing shows highlighting inspirational stories, the newspaper said.

According to New York Times, in one possible show idea, Obama could moderate conversations on topics from his presidency like healthcare, voting rights, immigration, foreign policy, climate change — which have continued to divide a polarised American electorate during President Trump’s time in office.

Another program could feature Michelle Obama on topics such as nutrition, which she championed in the White House. The Obamas could also lend their brand to documentaries or fictional programming on Netflix that align with their beliefs and values, said the New York Times report.

The financial terms of the deal are not known yet.

According to New York Times, in addition to Netflix, executives from Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc have also expressed interest in talking to Obama about content deals. Last year, Penguin Random House landed a deal to publish two books by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, with one volume to be written by each.

The deal followed a heated auction for global rights to the two books with bidding that reached more than $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, the Financial Times had reported last year.

(With inputs from Reuters and New York Times)