- By Sean Seddon, David Willis
- BBC News, London and Los Angeles
Spotify has ended a lucrative podcast deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In a joint statement, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s company and the streaming giant said they had “mutually agreed to part ways.”
Spotify has confirmed that Meghan Markle’s 12-episode podcast “Archetypes” will not be renewed for a second series since August 2022.
The deal was estimated to be worth $25m (£18m) at the end of 2020.
The podcast deal was one of the major commercial deals the couple signed after leaving royal duties and moving to the United States in 2020.
When the plans were announced at the end of 2020, the prince said, “It will bring a variety of perspectives and voices that you probably haven’t heard before.”
Archetypes saw Meghan talking to celebrities like Serena Williams and Mariah Carey about stereotypes about women.
Spotify and the couple’s content creation label, Archewell Audio, said in a statement that they were “proud of the series we created together.”
In December, Archetypes won best podcast at the People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles.
Meghan wrote at the time: “I loved sitting in bed late at night, writing and being creative, and immersing myself in the process.
“And I loved delving into meaningful conversations with diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning together. It was such a loving job.”
The Wall Street Journal quoted an Urshwell spokesperson as saying Meghan “continues to develop more content on other platforms for archetype audiences.”
When the deal with Spotify was first announced, it was touted as a multi-series relationship, but only one series ultimately materialized.
According to US media reports, the royal couple did not meet the productivity benchmarks required by Spotify and therefore will not receive the full contract.
Since their royal separation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sought to use their global fame to become financially independent.
That includes a multi-million dollar content deal with Netflix and Harry’s huge deal with Penguin Books, which already publishes his autobiography Spare.
This follows Spotify’s announcement last week that it was embarking on a “strategic restructuring”, cutting 200 people from its podcast division after investing heavily in the medium.
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