Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have yet to release a follow-up of their podcast show on Spotify, following the inaugural broadcast in late December 2020. Speculations are rife that the Sussex pair might have been dropped by the audio streaming platform.
A source told Women's Day that Meghan and Harry's first podcast was "a huge disappointment" for Spotify because it failed to rate well. The debut episode landed at number 17 in the U.K. Spotify chart, behind a podcast for Deep Sleep Sounds featuring whale noises. The Sussexes show eventually climbed to number seven days after the broadcast.
However, Spotify executives were expecting Meghan and Harry's podcast to hit number one. The show was also "critically panned" because it was "too progressive," bringing more problems for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they could not line up decent guests.
The report comes amid a forecast that Spotify won't meet its projected revenue target for the quarter. According to Financial Express, Spotify's expansion to become the "Netflix of audio content." by singing up influential names like Kim Kardashian West, Michelle Obama and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not bear any significant benefits.
But according to CNN, Meghan and Harry's first actual podcast series is still set to debut in 2021. The show from December was dubbed as a "holiday special," which featured audio clips from their friend, Sir Elton John, late-night host James Corden, inspirational gurus Brene Brown and Deepak Chopra, and politician Stacey Abrams. The guests talked about the biggest things they've learned and experienced during the pandemic year.
Royal commentator Rosa Silverman believes that Meghan and Harry will be collaborating with recently-inaugurated Vice President Kamala Harris for a podcast episode. Silverman said that Meghan and Harris share a "feeling of solidarity" and while Harris is not the type to play up on popularity, she might be prodded to do a one-off podcast with Meghan and Harry to discuss their advocacies.
Hello!, on the other hand, speculated that Meghan and Harry's future podcast guests could include Obama, because Harry shares a "sweet bond" with her since 2013. Meghan might also sign up her close friend, tennis star Serena Williams, to do a podcast. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also great friends with the Queen of Talk, Oprah Winfrey, who is the perfect guest for this type of format.
Meghan and Harry signed a multi-year deal with Spotify under their company, Archewell Audio.
