Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have agreed to "part ways" with streaming giant Spotify after releasing just 13 episodes of podcast content over three years in a deal reported to have potentially been worth $20 million for the couple.
However, as an entertainment expert tells Newsweek, despite the apparent setback, the pair have earned impressive credit to further their careers in Hollywood.
Meghan and Harry signed a contract with Spotify in 2020 to produce podcast content for the platform, which over three years resulted in one 12-episode season of Meghan-fronted show, Archetypes, and a one-off joint-holiday show with Harry.
On June 15, the couple released a joint statement with Spotify announcing: "Spotify and Archewell Audio (the couple's audio production company) have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together."
Archewell also released a statement to the Wall Street Journal, further explaining that the duchess was still looking to engage with her People's Choice Award-winning Archetypes podcast audience through another company.
"The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify," a spokesperson said. "Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform."
The platform in question has not been revealed, though Harry and Meghan could follow another high-profile power couple who once worked with Spotify, Barack and Michelle Obama, in moving over to competitors, Amazon's Audible.
The Obamas signed with Spotify in 2019 and after a two-year deal left the platform to sign with Audible in the summer of 2022.
Meghan's debut Archetypes series won praise for tackling stereotypes facing women and earned Meghan a People's Choice Award and Gracie Award. She can take both prestigious awards with her to any new collaborators as proof she has what it takes in the entertainment field as a host and producer, according to entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets, Mark Boardman.
"Archetypes winning a People's Choice and Gracie Award solidifies the ability of Harry and Meghan to be award-winning media personalities and further ensures they remain in the public consciousness," Boardman told Newsweek.
"The feedback and ratings would be disappointing but by no means was it a failure, as they drove an awareness to stereotypes leveled against women, and Meghan proved that she will try her hand at anything and move onto whatever's next," he said.
On the potential for a move over to Amazon, Boardman explained that such a jump would be the "only viable alternative," suggesting the royal couple could transform their content for another platform in a way presenters for other mainstream shows have, such as British motoring show Top Gear's hosts who moved from the BBC to front Amazon's The Grand Tour in 2016.
"With the lessons learnt and experience that Harry and Meghan would have gained [at Spotify], they are in a stronger position to make their own content on their own terms if there is less financial pressure and more laissez-faire targets to hit," he said.
However, for the couple, a break with one of their two biggest media partners [the Sussexes also signed a content creation deal with Netflix in 2020], will not be without disappointment and could even prove detrimental in terms of the fees they could command.
"Future deals of this kind for Harry and Meghan will be hard to come by with a lower fee to mitigate any risk," Boardman said. "Bosses will think twice about the total 'deal cost' to ensure it makes business sense."
The news of Harry and Meghan's break with Spotify comes after it recently laid off 200 staff members in a restructuring of its podcasting division. It also comes just months after chief content and advertising business officer, Dawn Ostroff, stepped down from the company.
Ostroff had been instrumental in recruiting Harry and Meghan and made a glowing appraisal of the couple when their collaboration was first announced in December 2020.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may live in California, but the power of their voices rests in their status as citizens of the world," Ostroff said at the time.
"That they are embracing the extraordinary capacity of podcasts on Spotify while also seeking to elevate underrepresented voices is a testament to their appreciation for the potential of audio storytelling," she said. "We are proud to partner with the duke and duchess and look forward to listeners hearing directly from them and the other creators that they will be elevating via our global platform."
When contacted for comment by Newsweek, Spotify reaffirmed their joint statement with Archewell Audio: "Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Update 6/16/23, 8:59 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Spotify.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
