Revenues up £1.3m at Roald Dahl Story Company before Netflix deal earned £370m

The Roald Dahl Story Company (TRDSC), which manages the rights to the authors characters and stories, made £27.1m in the year to December 2020, up £1.3m from £25.8m in 2019, before its 2021 acquisition by Netflix earned the estate £370m.

The latest set of accounts published at Companies House also show pretax profits increased to £14.4m, from £13.2m the year before. TRDSC’s former directors Luke Kelly and Claire Wright said the performance "exceeded expectations" with revenue 13.2% ahead of budget. 

They noted: "While the outbreak of Covid-19 during 2020 impacted some revenue streams due to operational issues and the enforced closure of theaters and cinemas, overall revenue increased, partially due to securing a new publishing contract with income receivable at the year end."

The report also appeared to refer to the major Netflix deal announced last year, adding "a significant sale of rights to a production company” guarantees further receipts “which secures income for several periods". 

According to newly filed documents for R D Payments Limited, which was set up in 2017 as the holding company for TRDSC, Netflix is to pay Dahl's estate £370m for the novelist's catalogue. The Bookseller has approached TRDSC for comment. 

In its announcement last year, Netflix said it was going to build "a unique universe across animated and live action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products and more”. The streaming giant said it would continue TRDSC's relationships with existing rights-holders, publishing, theatre and entertainment partners.