One of the topics of conversation I thought we would get in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah was an update on their Netflix and Spotify deals. While Oprah asked about the deals, it was in a general way, no specifics. While it’s been widely assumed that they would only announce their upcoming projects when they had everything nailed down, I do think it’s odd that we haven’t really heard much about either of those deals. Like, when is the next Archewell podcast coming? When is a Netflix docu-series about menstruation and/or girls’ education in developing countries coming? Oprah didn’t ask and the vibe is that they’re still putting the pieces together of their media empire. Vanity Fair has a story with tons of quotes from industry insiders about whether Meghan and Harry’s podcasting and Netflix projects will still have the same kind of appeal as the Oprah interview.
Post-interview, are people now all the more interested in hearing from them? “All the more,” said Tina Brown, who covered the royal family both as editor of Vanity Fair and author of the definitive biography on Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. “They reached a whole new audience who now can’t wait to see what happens next.” Media analyst Rich Greenfield of LightShed Partners likewise told me, “I think this clearly shows, whatever their profile was beforehand in the U.S. and globally, it’s clearly that much larger now.”
BLM meets The Crown?? A Hollywood source who knows their way around a streaming deal had a similarly upbeat but slightly moderated take: “I think the crossover appeal—Black Lives Matter meets The Crown—is a fever pitch opportunity. I’m just not sure how they capture that magic, and not sure it’s commercially sustainable at Oprah ratings levels. That said, she is an actress, and I think they know precisely what they are doing.”
Hollywood insiders don’t actually know what’s happening with Archewell: Details for Archewell’s programming are so far scant. The multiyear Netflix deal will reportedly cover documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming, but aside from an inspirational animated series for women, we don’t know what any of those will be. (The Hollywood Reporter did however reveal last week that Archewell recently hired veteran producer Ben Browning from FilmNation Entertainment.) The audio plans are even more under wraps. “Spotify is cagier on Archewell stuff than Higher Ground stuff. It’s like the f–king nuclear code over there,” said podcasting guru Nick Quah, who publishes the newsletter Hot Pod.
They’re still building their podcasting team? “The Holiday Special performed well and we’re looking forward to whatever comes next,” a Spotify spokesman told me. “They’re in the process of building their team now and looking at similar deals à la Higher Ground, [and] should be ready to announce the first series in a few months.” (Spotify’s Higher Ground portfolio so far includes The Michelle Obama Podcast, a podcast hosted by Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, and a show dedicated to Muslim voices called Tell Them, I Am.)
Insiders want them to do a personal pod: “Talk about the perfect entrée to launch a podcast series, because that’s about you personally,” said Greenfield. “I have less clarity on what this means for Netflix, but it’s very clear from a Spotify standpoint, that if they’re hosting, moderating, participating in a regular podcast series or limited series, this type of massive global promotion and visibility is great for them. This is clearly a win for Spotify.”
What Nick Quah thinks of podcasting about personal stuff: “My interpretation is that the juicy tell-all opens up an interesting initial ramp for them,” he told me over email. “I imagine there’s a ton of energy right now around people wondering the meta-question of how they will proceed to build their lives and public presence in the wake of ethering the royal family. But they occupy this really strange space within celebrity, right? You’re either known for what you’re good at (artists, musicians, actors, etc.), or you’re known for your constant engagement and visibility (influencers etc.), or sometimes both. I’m not quite sure how their distinct currency of fame, which almost feels passive and reactive, will fit within this rubric.”
I genuinely lol’d at “how they will proceed to build their lives and public presence in the wake of ethering the royal family.” OMG!! I’m going to call it that now. The Sussexes ethered the Windsors. Bless them. As for all of this… yeah, I’m skeptical, in general. Netflix and Spotify clearly will stick around to see what kind of return they get on their investment. I think Meghan will likely want every “I” dotted and every “t” crossed and they’ll assemble a great team for their production company and podcasting company. But I do wish they were moving faster on all of this. Also: I’ve heard many, many rumors for months – and not just in the British tabloids – that H&M did film stuff during the past year or so, so a docu-series about themselves might not be off the table. They could frame it as a docu-series about “Building Archewell” or something.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I think because of the pandemic, things have gone much slower for them in terms of setting the production arm of Archewell. It seems at the moment, that they are focusing on getting the foundation up and running. I also think a lot of the programming will focus on some of the projects that the foundation is working on.
Right?!?
1- there is a pandemic on
2- she had a miscarriage and Is heavily pregnant currently
3- we NEVER know about their stuff until it drops unless they want us to know. Very Beyoncé.
4- they will produce amazing content that is on brand and kind and thoughtful and insightful. Give them time. They have gone through so much and come so far.
I live in California, a state with some of the most restrictive quarantine laws. Frankly, I’m astonished that H&M have managed to get anything done, given the prohibitions on gathering F2F or in groups. Zooming is simply not as productive as F2F meetings, and the situation becomes even worse when one is trying to network with people one has never met before. Meghan may still have significant business contacts, but it’s all new to Harry. Hats off to them for accomplishing as much as they have — during a quarantine, while pregnant, while raising a toddler, while evading paparazzi, while dealing with toxic relatives, etc., etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseam.
+100
My husband is a contractual lawyer with entertainment specialty. He said the same things you guys have said. There’s a pandemic. To do these tings right takes time.
Higher Ground took a while right? O’s left office in Jan 2017, first Higher Ground release was in 2019 I believe, the movie about manufacturing workers. 2020 saw MObama’s podcast. 2021 so far has BO’s podcast with Springsteen and MO’s cooking show for kids.
Archewell’s been active in supporting charities, which is a big part of what they do so I think we just need to chill. It will be a couple of years.
Thanks for highlighting the Obamas’ timeline. I also always point out the fact that Shonda Rhimes signed her Netflix deal in August 2017 and her first big project under that deal, Bridgerton, was only released in December 2020. These things take time.
Additionally the Obama’s deal with Spotify was announced im 2019 but the Michelle Obama podcast didnt come out until 2020. It is not abnormal for creators to not come out with content after signing streaming/podcast deal for a year or more. Especially when you factor in a pandemic and the fact that Meghan is in her second trimester. People just keep speculating about this because they are desperate for Sussex content and drama.
I’m more interested in hearing about Harry’s series with Oprah for apple tv. That has been on the works for much longer, and very little is known about it. I had honestly thought that apple had scrapped it or something until Oprah acknowledge that it still existed and that they are working on it. Specially since we now we know about Meghan’s struggles and that the series has to do with mental health.
Last I remember, they had to do a total reshoot because of the pandemic and how that impacted the narrative of mental health.
They got that shit on LOCK like Marvel!!
Seriously though, I’m just as curious as the next person but we all know they don’t like to announce stuff until it’s pretty much done. No, we’re THINKING of doing such and such like the Cambridges.
I used to work in the entertainment industry. Stuff rarely comes together super quickly. It hasn’t even been a year since they announced their deals. Have some patience people!
I would not be surprised if one of the first things they produce on netflix is a docuseries about their partnership with WCK – how they came to partner with them, the process for choosing the sites for centers, building the first center, etc. I actually think that could be very interesting, to see the behind-the-scenes of something like that.
Anyway I am surprised that we havent gotten another podcast yet. I wonder if there was something in their spotify contract where they had to get a podcast out before the end of 2020? Because it seemed kind of random to have that one episode out and then nothing since.
I do think there is a fine line here, because obviously there is interest in them because of who they are, so they have to be in front of the camera or on the podcast at times, it cant be all just them as producers.
I would love for them to produce a documentary about saving the environment, lol.
I want meg to do a docu about femicide
We’ve been in a pandemic for a year. My goodness. Everything has been on hold. Why do H&M have to move at a pace 10x faster than everyone else? Archewell has been doing great work throughout the year and has made dozens of donations as well. Successful companies aren’t built overnight.
I feel like for Spotify they are pre-recording a number of episodes before releasing. Probably because Meghan will have to take 3 -6 months off after having her baby.
I don’t know how podcasts work. Do they do “seasons” or is it just pumping out stuff every week year round? What is the typical frequency?
I just can’t see them doing something weekly. I imagine it would be like the podcast version of a news special on whatever topic or issue they want to highlight. Honestly, I’m picturing one very informationally dense podcast a month.
It depends on the podcast. Ones like Serial that do deep dives into one thing tend to be seasons, like one story a year, while more general ones like My Favorite Murder, Scam Goddess, WTF with Marc Maron are more weekly with some breaks for the hosts to take vacation. Some are a combo like Reply All that does general stories more or less weekly but then deep dive on something for a series of weeks
I agree that they probably have some episodes in the bank already. They never gave a timeline on when to expect new episodes and they probably want some distance from the interview. And as people have mentioned H&M drop news or projects when they are finished. They don’t tease out information for months before they release something. IG didn’t work that why, neither did Meghan’s projects with Smartworks or the Hubb.
Some of the podcasts I listen to have seasons. So maybe they’ll do 12 episodes for the season, take a break, and then come back for the next. I imagine they might do something like that, to give themselves a break and perhaps to do research on a topic.
@Snuffles: It varies. I follow some who treat it more formally, like a tv show, with scheduled down time and posting dates. And I follow some who just post whenever they feel like it, and take a break whenever they feel it.
I’m expecting H&M will probably be more like the former than the latter.
It’s true, everything is delayed, but to be fair podcasts, of all things, can be done remotely as long as both parties have Wi-Fi and a microphone. I do find it odd that they did one episode back in December then nothing since.
It took Shonda Rhimes how long after signing her Netflix deal for Bridgerton? These things take time… idk about Spotify. Tho tbh, I was shocked to learn that streaming just sort of fell into their laps…
Anyway they, or at least Archewell, need a social media presence. It’s time to highlight the good and positive, bc the interview is starting to hover like a (dark) cloud. It’s hard to even discern their long-term PR strategy rn, bc we all predicted the interview would launch their new branding, and it didn’t really.
Yes, I also think they need to get social media ASAP to put other “content” (can’t think of another word right now) into the public sphere that doesn’t have anything to do with their time as working royals and/or the Oprah interview. Even if it’s just an Instagram account.
I mentioned in another thread yesterday that last week Archewell announced new support for four different non-profit organisations, indicating that they are ready to pivot away from their old lives and get into their future work. But because they don’t have their own social media (with buckets of followers) that news hasn’t travelled very far and, combined with their own (visual) absence since the interview, the only thing people are talking about is royal drama.
That said, I understand that they probably feel that they might be oversaturating the media right now and probably want things to calm down a bit. I also trust that H&M and their team know what they’re doing, so that when things are finally rolled out, it’ll be immaculate and well-thought out.
Archewell had been doing great work and I agree that it time for them to get some social media or something going for information about their projects. It would be helpful if people had a place where they can see what’s going on with their work. With the interview in the can, I think they’ll start to pivot towards their work.
@JT exactly. For an organisation that is less than a year old, they’ve done really good work, but most of it is not well-documented and therefore does not circulate widely. While I understand their reticence about social media, not having a presence on Insta (or Twitter) will bite them in the ass eventually and will also make it less effective for them to highlight the non-profit organisations they’re partnering with.
Their own website, while beautiful, is not very visual (in terms of photos and videos) which means that people are less likely to take interest in it and/or seek it out. In 2021 it’s very important to literally show your work and hopefully they will do so now that the interview is done.
I hope they turn off comments if they do an Instagram. It will be abuse 24/7, same as Twitter.
Didn’t Harry come out and say they are anti-social media? I feel like they will do their own launch/PR blitz(es) without social media given their feelings about the bullying and harassment that occurs there.
Harry never said that, he said they will return to social media when it feels right for them
The press said they were permanently off social media, and Harry denied that 2 weeks later. He said
https://people.com/royals/prince-harry-denies-quit-social-media/
Meghan and harry won’t do a docu series about themselves or their family. That is one thing a can’t see them do. As for their projects with netflix and spotify, i think they are still working on it. But seeing as meg is currently pregnant and about to give birth in a few months and then of on maternity leave for a few months i think it may go slower than we anticipated.
On social media scrolling as you do and I saw comments from people hoping that Megs would do Mommy-lifestyle podcasts. I did not blink, stunned as I was, and felt compelled to correct this verbally with a firm NO in reaction. Fortunately, my eyes have begun to blink again, albeit with the assistance of those “cute puppy bellyrolls on lawn” videos, but I’ll park this as a caution for others who may inadvertently trip over something like this.
OH GOD NO! JUST NO! All this mommy lifestyle crap makes me nauseous. And yes I am a mother.
1) Move away from royal family
2) relentless bullying campaign
3) pandemic
4) high risk pregnancy
5) pre-post Oprah bullying campaign
6) unrelenting interest and fascination in all they do
7) intense scrutiny beyond anything anyone else will deal with
8) the desire for many (RF, BM) to see them fail
9) Pressure to get everything exactly right
10) high risk pregnancy
11) timing issues–it may be wise to let some dust settle from the interview blow-up so that people can focus on their projects (easier said than done–anything they do for the next 3-5 years will likely be viewed through the lens of the royal family)
12) high risk pregnancy
The most important thing Meghan can do is shut out all of this noise and take care of herself. She has had 2 pregnancies where the BM has tried to bully her into a miscarriage. It’s better to be patient than to rush something through. Unlike Kate’s laughable Early Years mess, any amorphous or unfocused output will be picked over by the BM. They should stick to Meghan’s tried-and-true MO: release info when it’s absolutely done: see Cookbook, Smartworks collection, Vogue.
I wish that Oprah had talked more about Meghan’s incredible work ethic and accomplishments. She did more in 18 months, with a pregnancy and a racist bullying campaign, than Kate and William together have done in 10 years. She had specific accomplishments with measurable positive results. Why she isn’t getting credit for that is sad to me.
Also, Meghan’s legal case against Daily Mail has only recently been resolved. And she’s facing the stupid bullying charges from the Palace. Glad she has Harry, Archie and the new baby.
I finally listened to their podcast, and they both have terrific delivery. Very smooth and self-confident. They just need great stories. I could actually see them sometimes doing a story in the style of This American Life, where they focus on one fascinating but ordinary person or some extraordinary but less covered event. Imagine the people they’ve met, the stories they’ve been told. I’m sure they’ll have researchers and writers to help them out.
Can’t wait for the next podcast.
I’m not getting why there’s a big rush for them to put out podcasts and series especially when the pandemic is still raging.
Because in Hollywood terms they are “hot” right now. The Oprah interview was a bonafide international blockbuster and Hollywood’s first instinct is to pump out a sequel as fast as possible. Who cares if it sucks, just get it out so we can ride the success wave of the first one!
Quality shouldn’t be rushed. I know the sussexes will announce it when it’s all baked. ‘The Race is not necessary for The Swift’
Aside from the very obvious around us…
H&M said their piece. For the sake of their futures, the best thing they could do is put a year or two of distance between them and The Interview. I think their PR people know it. Give people a couple of years off from then and the royal family actually saying anything about one another.
Outside of us here at this site, people do not care about royals except to gossip about them. Those that are Republican are rooting for Harry and Meghan to succeed because that means the royals don’t have to live off the public purse. The only ones hoping for complete failure are the British media, a PWT, and royal reporters who have lost all credibility at this point.
I think as time goes on there just won’t be a relationship with the royal family. Once Elizabeth and Philip are gone, I expect Harry to be iced out completely. Sooner or later there won’t be anything left in England for him and he just won’t return. His life is in America now.
Or maybe the family will let bygones be bygones and get together a couple times of year for events or just to see each other. I imagine Harry has contacts in UK that he needs to maintain as well.
We’re in a pandemic………
People seem thirsty for ongoing content from the Sussexes but need to be realistic because production takes time& they seem to still be recruiting. Plus especially now they are expecting another baby.
They’ve actually done a lot. In 2020 they left royal duties, moved twice& bought a home, had a miscarriage, got pregnant again, got these new deals, set up production companies with two titles currently in development& produced a holiday special, assembled new team, set up their non profit& had ongoing lawsuits. They did talks on voting, BLM, misinformation, campaigned with Stop hate for profit, did op eds on misinformation& on Meghan’s sad miscarriage. Harry appeared in that Paralympic doc& has been working on the mental health series with Oprah. They were also still supporting new orgs like Homeboy as well as their royal patronages before those were taken back. Travalyst seems to be looking at how to change tourism post pandemic.
So far this year Invictus has launched a podcast with NHS. Archewell’s partnership with WCK has already set up one community relief kitchen in Dominica with three more to come& they’ve funded initiatives around diversity in journalism, black women’s mental health & helped that Texas shelter. Not too shabby. Agree that Archewell needs social media though.
Thank you! They have accomplished a LOT in 2020 and under extreme duress.
They have definitely been busy and thanks for pointing all this out. They tend to tie all of their initiatives together, and try to link them, so assume that is how they’ll proceed with their projects.
At Netflix, slates of projects are typically not announced until a year after the deal is signed (see Obamas and Shonda). So there won’t be any announcements from them on the Netflix stuff until the fall.
It’s clear their podcasts won’t be weekly current events podcasts, so production of that will take time too. I see something more like the Obama and Springsteen podcast, rather than Michelle Obama’s.
I agree with everyone on Archewell setting up social media and them expanding their website. Hire a social media manager and social media content producers to post about their various initiatives. Make little short video clips.
Then next up the podcast. Announce their schedule and format. I’m learning towards once a month focusing on a specific issue or topic.
Then take their sweet time for Netflix.
I thought they would have more podcasts since they did the special for Christmas but I don’t know how these things work. As for Netflix I’m not surprised nothing has aired yet. I think they just signed 6-9 months ago. It takes time to put content together, especially starting from scratch. As noted from others it took professionals a couple of years to get started.
It’s actually good that a story is starting to pivot back to their work and wanting to see content from them. It seems they hired someone for their production team so that is a step forward. Same with Spotify though they should drop a podcast soon, especially since they dropped the holiday special so soon after the deal was announced. They need to focus back on their work. As we saw from the interview, they didn’t have everything lined up and as strategically planned as we assumed. However, they have pulled a lot together and looking forward to content. They’ll feel the pressure. Remember they just did a promo for Spotify so things are happening.
I’m sure the deal with Netflix will take time. I am a bit surprised that they haven’t done another podcast episode, though? It seems strange that they launched it before they were ready with more episodes.
They need an IG page. They are actually doing so much in terms of donations and charity. They donated to the domestic abuse shelter in Texas. They donated and are supporting press initiatives in the UK and the Us. But slot of this news doesn’t travel far. It’s hurting them not to have a designated social media platform. Can’t they have an IG page and just turn off the comments?
This kind of ties back to Meghan’s comment that she was everywhere and no where. We think we see more of them than we actually do, they get constant headlines ( mostly negative unfortunately), so we think they’re briefing. We want more of them but they decide when they put things out. We expect content to just drop, but these take months of development. Building from the ground up is not on our timeline, but theirs.
I don’t understand the impatience with the Netflix/Spotify deals. The were announced in Sept/Oct so were just around the six/seven months. They were starting from scratch so this is not unexpected. It was one year from signing to actual producing a podcast for Michelle Obama I think it was almost two years before higher ground actually put out a product. They also started up their foundation which is already forming partnerships and having a tangible. I love the fact that people in the industry don’t know anything and that the info is being kept tightly wrapped. We’ve seen what the tabloids do when they know anything about the Sussexes projects before hand. Given the pandemic and given everything they’ve dealt with personally the work that they’ve done to support their existing charities and the new charities has amazed me. Both Harry and Meghan have a history of doing a lot of work BTS and then launching finished projects. I like the way they are going about their work right now. They are laying the foundation and keeping it separate from the royal family drama.
Hollywood/ Entertainment Industry has been all about Force Majeure clauses right now. No one’s pushing new things into production and that’s OKAY.
That being said, I’d REALLY love Meghan to dive back into her Tig travel/ wellness/ food/ lifestyle space. I think she has great taste and a cool way of approaching the world that’s more relevant now than ever.
I admit I thought the podcast was going to be a weekly or monthly thing, but now I think a lot of this is mostly a promotional tool for both platforms. In exchange, Meghan and Harry get funding to support their projects.
My guess is that they have to narrow down the issues they want to focus on and how to go about doing that: like issues with vets, something I suspect is dear to Harry, and issues of equality that Meghan will likely focus on. This sort of thing takes careful research and preparation before they can even begin filming a single interview.