Megan Markle and Prince Harry’s £88 million documentary surprisingly ranked 211th on Netflix’s list of most-watched content. This placement has led to various children’s films and even an awards show, which has raised eyebrows among viewers. The documentary gave a glimpse into Megan’s first meeting with Princess Katherine and featured Harry making comments about his father. Despite significant buzz, it failed to rank among the top 200 most-watched Netflix shows for the January–June period.
The couple’s documentary, which details their exit from royal life, managed to rack up a total of 62 million viewing hours on Netflix during the first half of 2023. However, it failed to surpass the popularity of animated films like “Hotel Transylvania 2” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” Even children’s shows like “Paw Patrol” and “Peppa Pig,” as well as series like “Emily in Paris” and “Outer Banks,” are rated higher than their documentary.
To put that into perspective, 60 million hours watched is equivalent to one million people watching an hour-long episode once. On the other hand, the first two seasons of the children’s cartoon “Peppa Pig” have accumulated more than 140 million hours of viewing. Additionally, Megan’s previous show, “Suits,” which was over a decade old, outperformed her latest efforts, with the first season securing the 73rd position.
Netflix had previously been criticized for its lack of transparency over content performance, leading to the release of detailed audience figures. Political thriller “The Night Agent” became the most-watched Netflix show in the first half, with 812 million hours watched in just three months. It surpassed the second season of “Ginny & Georgia,” which had 665 million hours watched over six months, and the revenge thriller “The Glory,” which secured third place with 623 million hours watched. .
Netflix’s mid-year report covered more than 18,000 titles and nearly 100 billion total viewing hours during the first half of the year. At the bottom of the list were almost 4,000 shows with only 100,000 hours watched. The revelation raises questions about the accuracy of streaming services’ claims about viewership figures, including those related to Harry and Megan’s Netflix show.
While the Sussexes reportedly have two years left on their Netflix deal, royal expert Richard Fitz Williams suggests it could end sooner. The termination of their contract with Spotify was seen as a setback, and although their contract with Netflix is worth $100 million and runs until 2025, their future with the streaming giant could be uncertain once the final season of “The Crown” released. Their success with projects such as the adaptation of the romantic novel “Meet Me at the Lake” and Harry’s recent Netflix series “Heart of Invictus” could influence their standing with the platform, especially given the long run of five hours of the latter.
