Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s podcast deal with Spotify has come to an end. The audio streaming platform, along with the production company Archewell Audio, announced on Thursday that they are pulling the plug on their commercial partnership with the couple.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a $20 million deal with Spotify in 2020 and were supposed to feature in multiple podcast series. However, the couple split from the platform after a single podcast, Archetypes by Markle, which aired in August last year.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $20 Million Podcast Deal with Spotify Ends After One Series
Spotify and Archewell Audio released a joint statement on Thursday, announcing their decision to part ways with the couple. “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together,” read the statement. However, they did not reveal the reason behind the move.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s reps have not yet commented on the matter. The development comes less than a year after Markle made her podcast debut with Archetypes. The series was promoted ‘to investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back’.
Markle’s Archetypes Podcast Would Not Return for Another Season
The podcast featured a number of celebrity guests, including Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, Jameela Jamil, Constance Wu, Paris Hilton, and Serena William, and turned out to be highly successful, winning the top podcast award at the People’s Choice Award.
At the time, Markle called the show her ‘labor of love’ and said that she ‘loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative. I loved digging deep into meaningful conversations with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them.’
A second season for the series was also said to be in the works earlier, which will now not be moving forward since the contract has been terminated. As for Harry, the Prince did not get to make his debut as a podcast host on Spotify.
The Couple Signed the Deal in December 2020
The deal was announced in December 2020, less than a year after Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties. “What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” the couple said at the time.
“With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are,” they added, referencing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Announcing the deal, Dawn Ostroff, then Spotify’s Chief Content and Advertising Business Officer called Harry and Meghan the ‘citizens of the world.’ He 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.”
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