Meghan Markle’s Lemonada Media Deal Falters with £16 Million Loss

Meghan Markle's Podcast Archetypes has proven to be a massive disappointment, as Lemonada Media faces a significant financial setback of £16 million due to its failure to secure a spot in the top 200 podcasts.

The decision to bring the former actress on board seems to have backfired for Lemonada Media, as their attempt to broaden the reach of Archetypes has not yielded the expected results.

Interestingly, one does not even require a Spotify account to access the podcast, raising questions about the rationale behind this partnership.

Reports from the Express suggest that Meghan Markle's collaboration with Lemonada Media may result in substantial financial losses for the company, given its smaller revenue stream compared to industry giant Spotify.

Following their move to the United States to establish an independent presence, Prince Harry and Meghan inked various entertainment deals, including a podcast series production agreement with Spotify.

Despite featuring notable guests like Serena Williams and Mariah Carey, the Archetypes podcast was abruptly discontinued after just one season comprising 12 episodes.

This year, Meghan embarked on a new venture with Lemonada Media to develop fresh content, with the company also set to distribute the original Archetypes series.

While the Spotify contract was valued at approximately £18 million, the current deal with Lemonada is speculated to be significantly less lucrative.

Branding expert Andrew Block hinted that the Lemonada arrangement falls far short of the previous Spotify deal, with the total revenue generated by all Lemonada podcasts amounting to around $8 million last year.

Although the exact value of the Lemonada deal remains undisclosed, estimates suggest that Meghan's new partnership could be worth roughly 10% of the Spotify agreement, equivalent to approximately £1.9 million.

Notably, despite being an avid user of Apple Podcasts, Meghan Markle's Archetypes failed to secure a position among the top 200 podcasts, necessitating manual searches for the content on various platforms like Amazon Music and Audible.

A closer examination revealed lukewarm reception for Archetypes, with a mere 3-star rating out of 10, contrasting starkly with the glowing 5-star reviews from the Sussex squad on Audible.

The podcast garnered around 4,000 reviews, with only a fraction being highly rated.

Episodes featuring renowned personalities like Mariah Carey and Mindy Kaling received modest ratings of 4.4 out of 10, indicating a lack of resonance with the audience.

Critics have pointed out Meghan's self-centered approach in the podcast, overshadowing the guest speakers and diminishing the overall listening experience.

Despite efforts to portray Archetypes as a triumph, discrepancies in the People's Choice Award voting system and alleged manipulation of statistics by Spotify cast doubt on its actual success.

Contrary to claims of being the number one podcast on Spotify, the reality paints a different picture, with Joe Rogan maintaining his dominance in the charts.

The initial intrigue surrounding Meghan Markle's Archetypes quickly waned, as listenership dwindled over time, prompting Spotify to intensify promotional campaigns to boost engagement.

The podcast's inability to secure a prominent position in the competitive podcast landscape underscores the challenges faced by celebrity-driven content in resonating with audiences and sustaining interest over the long haul.