Harry and Meghan's future projects 'at risk' after Netflix ratings revealed
A royal commentator has claimed the Netflix ratings for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s documentary could impact the “opportunities” they get. Kinsey Schofield, who hosts...A royal commentator has claimed the Netflix ratings for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s documentary could impact the “opportunities” they get.
Kinsey Schofield, who hosts the To Di For podcast, appeared on TalkTV recently to discuss the Duke and Duchess’s Netflix ratings after the release of their docuseries Harry and Meghan last year. She claimed the low viewing figures would affect Prince Harry and his wife “pretty hard” regarding career advancement. When it first premiered, the streaming service had marketed the episodes as a huge success, billing it as the second highest-ranked documentary ever on their platform.
Docuseries ranking will ‘hit Harry and Meghan hard’
During her interview, Kinsey explained how the viewing figures would affect how King Charles’ son and daughter-in-law advanced in their careers and what kinds of opportunities they would receive.
She said: “I think that this is going to hit Harry and Meghan because Netflix has typically kept their numbers secret. However, they did market this particular documentary as a success for the Netflix brand. It created new opportunities elsewhere for Harry and Meghan. Just the line that Netflix gave, that this was ‘the most successful docuseries ever,’ very vague on their numbers.
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“But to see that it ranked below 200 in Netflix all around streaming numbers, you know, I think that it’s going to hit Harry and Meghan pretty hard for future opportunities.”
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary’s ratings
Despite the numbers given by the movie streamer, it was announced earlier this month that Harry & Meghan ranked at 211 for viewing figures. The six-part TV series, which cost a hefty $100 million to produce, only raked in about 60 million hours of watch time.
This means it was less successful than shows such as Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol. Peppa’s first two seasons saw viewings of 140 million hours while Paw Patrol’s second series saw 149 million hours watched.
Even Meghan Markle’s former law drama, Suits, ranked significantly higher at the 73rd spot on the list.
Another career blow
The Netflix documentary ratings for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle follow on from claims by Omid Scobie, who wrote the newly released book Endgame, which state the pair weren’t paid all of the money they were supposed to get from their Spotify deal. They were supposed to gain $20 million but were paid less after they “mutually agreed” to walk away from their work with the music and podcast streaming service.
It has been alleged the platform “was only interested in paying out for juicy goods which could generate major headlines and bring in subscriptions” with Bill Simmons, a podcast executive, calling them “grifters.”
Only two projects were produced under their Spotify deal: Archewell Audio Christmas Special and Archetypes. Meghan’s podcast saw her interview the likes of Paris Hilton, Serena Williams, and Mariah Carey.
In the episodes, the 42-year-old and her guests would discuss the barriers that women face and “subvert the labels” by “dismantling them with action.”
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