LOS ANGELES: The multi-million-dollar deal that a media group run by Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle has had with streaming giant Spotify is ending by mutual agreement, the two parties said Thursday.
The couple have produced just one series under their Archewell Audio podcast imprint since inking the agreement in 2020 for a reported $20 million.
That show, Markle’s ‘Archetypes,’ has topped podcast charts for the outlet in a number of markets, with listeners flocking to her discussions with influential women.
But the two sides said in a joint statement that the deal is coming to an end. “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series that we made together,” the statement said.
Trade title Variety, citing an unnamed source, reported Thursday that Spotify had been expecting more material.
Harry and the Duchess of Sussex were looking to find a new home for their content, Variety said, citing another source.
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Harry, the younger son of Britain’s King Charles, married glamorous former US television actress Meghan, who is mixed race, in 2018 in a blaze of positive coverage that looked set to help bring the tradition-bound monarchy into the 21st century.
But relations between the couple and the family soured over the following years, with accusations Markle was subjected to racism.
Harry and his wife stepped back from royal life and relocated to California, from where they have continued to lob brickbats at the institution.
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Most explosively there has been a tell-all autobiography from the 38-year-old prince, a Netflix docu-series, and a high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey. Since quitting royal duties, the couple have sought to make money through media ventures.
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