Prince Harry and Meghan’s multimillion-dollar deal with streaming giant Spotify has ended by mutual agreement.
“Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series that we made together,” the parties announced in a joint statement.
The partnership was first announced in December 2020, when Prince Harry and Meghan said they planned to “produce podcasts and shows that tell these stories – and inspire even more”.
Since signing the exclusive partnership with Spotify for a reported $20 million, Archewell Audio delivered a holiday special in December 2020 and one show.
Meghan's Archetypes series, where she explored the history and experiences of society’s stereotypes concerning women, was not renewed for a second season despite topping the podcast charts at its release.
The 12-episode podcast series hosted by the duchess herself, was released in August last year and featured guests such as Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling, Serena Williams and Constance Wu.
A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the partnership came to an end partly due to Archewell’s low output of content as Spotify usually requires multiple series or episodes of a show from its exclusive podcast deals.
Variety also reported that Prince Harry and Meghan planned to move away from the exclusive Spotify distribution to find another home for their podcast projects.
Barack and Michelle Obama, who also had an exclusive podcast deal with Spotify, moved on from the streaming giant a year ago and signed a partnership for their podcast Higher Ground with Audible.
Since retreating from royal life, Prince Harry and Meghan have spearheaded a number of media ventures.
This includes Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography Spare released earlier this year, which became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998.
The couple also have an agreement with Netflix to produce streaming content, which included their docuseries Harry & Meghan, chronicling their relationship with Britain’s royal family.
The two part series was first released on December 8, becoming the UK’s most-watched subscription TV series, with an average of 4.5 million people viewing the first episode in the seven days after its release.
