Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show has failed to break into the streaming giant’s top 300 programmes for the first half of the year, as the Sussexes’ dreams of creating a media empire continues to struggle.
The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle programme, entitled With Love, Meghan, hit the small screens in March amid a flurry of publicity.
But newly released figures from Netflix show the programme has been watched 5.3m times despite its high-profile host – ranking it at number 383 in the list of the streaming service’s most-viewed shows.
That puts it level with the second series of BBC hit Peaky Blinders, which was first released in 2014, and series four of Suits, the legal drama from 2011 in which Meghan also starred.
With Love, Meghan showcases her cooking and gardening skills, with the Duchess sharing tricks and tips alongside guests including actor Mindy Kaling.
An official description of the programme describes it as “inspiring”, adding that Meghan “reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming”.
The series shot into Netflix’s global top 10 within its first 24 hours on the streaming service. However, the latest figures suggest viewers quickly switched off amid a flood of negative reviews.
The Telegraph branded it an “exercise in narcissism”, while the Guardian described it as “toe-curlingly unlovable TV”. The programme has a rating of 36pc on Rotten Tomatoes and just 3.2 on IMDb.
Despite the poor reviews, Netflix confirmed that filming for a second series has already been completed and is expected to air in the autumn.
Harry and Meghan inked a five-year deal with Netflix in 2020 worth a reported $100m (£74.4m).
The agreement, signed through the couple’s production company Archewell, led to Harry & Meghan – a six-part documentary series following the couple’s exit from the Royal Family.
The first episode became Netflix’s biggest documentary debut ever, but the series was widely panned by critics and viewing quickly dropped off.
Data released last year showed Meghan’s TV drama Suits racked up nine times more viewing hours than the documentary.
The two other shows produced under the lucrative contract – Heart of Invictus and Polo – have also struggled to make waves.
Meghan’s Netflix-backed lifestyle brand has also come under scrutiny after it emerged her “craft” jam is made 2,000 miles away from her Montecito home. The brand was originally called American Riviera Orchard but has since been renamed As Ever following trademark issues.
Beyond Netflix, Harry and Meghan signed a $20m podcast deal with Spotify in 2020, but this collapsed after Meghan produced just 12 episodes of her interview show Archetypes in two years.
Bill Simmons, a senior podcasting executive at Spotify, called the pair “grifters” after the partnership ended.
British boom
Netflix’s latest figures show British programmes continue to prove popular around the globe.
Adolescence, the hit four-part crime series that sparked a national debate about violence and online safety, racked up 145m views in the first half of the year – making it the most-watched show.
The programme this week received 13 Emmy nominations, including one for Owen Cooper, who at 15 years old is the youngest actor ever to be nominated in his category.
Missing You, based on the Harlan Coben novel, was the fifth-most popular show, with 58m views, while the latest series of Black Mirror and recent hit Dept. Q also performed well.
It came as Netflix reported a 16pc jump in revenues to $11bn (£8.2bn) in the second quarter as it cashed in on price hikes and strong advertising revenues.
The streaming service, which raised the price of its most popular standard tier by £2 to £12.99 earlier this year, stopped reporting subscriber numbers at the end of last year, when it topped 300m customers.
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