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Meghan Markle's Netflix Ratings: The Five Shocking Numbers That Define The $100 Million Deal

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The financial and cultural success of Meghan Markle's Netflix partnership is currently defined by a shocking contrast in viewership, according to the latest data and reports from early 2025. The Duchess of Sussex’s production company, Archewell Productions, has delivered one of the streaming giant’s most-watched documentaries of all time, yet their subsequent projects have struggled significantly to find an audience, leading to intense speculation about the future of the multi-year, multi-million dollar contract.

As of December 2025, the narrative around the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Hollywood venture is a ratings rollercoaster. While the initial flagship project set an incredibly high bar for royal content, newer, more personal projects—like the highly anticipated lifestyle series *With Love, Meghan*—have delivered disappointing figures, placing the entire $100 million deal under a critical spotlight.

Meghan Markle: Biography and Archewell Productions Portfolio

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (born Rachel Meghan Markle), is an American former actress and a member of the British royal family by marriage to Prince Harry. Her career has transitioned from a successful acting role to global humanitarian work and, most recently, to content creation through her company, Archewell Productions.

  • Full Name: Rachel Meghan Markle
  • Born: August 4, 1981 (Age 44 as of 2025)
  • Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
  • Spouse: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (m. 2018)
  • Children: Prince Archie of Sussex, Princess Lilibet of Sussex
  • Notable Acting Role: Rachel Zane in the legal drama *Suits* (2011–2018)
  • Royal Titles: Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton, Baroness Kilkeel
  • Production Company: Archewell Productions (Co-founded with Prince Harry)
  • Netflix Deal: Signed in September 2020, reportedly worth up to $100 million.

Archewell Productions: Released Netflix Content & Performance Metrics

Archewell Productions has released a handful of projects under its exclusive deal with Netflix. The performance of these projects has been highly variable, creating a "tale of two extremes" for the partnership. The key projects and their most recent, reported ratings are as follows:

  • *Harry & Meghan* (2022): A six-part docuseries detailing their relationship and departure from the Royal Family.
  • *Live to Lead* (2022): A documentary series profiling leaders and activists.
  • *Heart of Invictus* (2023): A docuseries focused on competitors in the Invictus Games.
  • *With Love, Meghan* (2025): A lifestyle series hosted by the Duchess, focusing on cooking, gardening, and wellness.
  • *Polo* (2025): A documentary focusing on the world of professional polo.

The Five Shocking Numbers Behind Meghan's Netflix Success and Struggles

To truly understand the current state of the Archewell-Netflix partnership, one must look closely at the specific, often contradictory, viewership numbers. These figures highlight the Duchess's unique drawing power—and the challenges of translating that power into consistent, high-performing content.

1. 81.6 Million Hours Watched: The Record-Breaking Success

The most important number for the partnership remains the staggering debut of the flagship docuseries, *Harry & Meghan*. In its first four days of release, the series accumulated 81.6 million hours watched globally. This figure cemented its status as the most-watched documentary debut in Netflix history at the time. This initial, massive success was the ultimate validation of the $100 million investment, proving that the public's curiosity about their personal story was a significant global draw for the streaming platform.

2. 526,000 Households: The Disappointing Lifestyle Debut

In stark contrast to the docuseries, the Duchess's highly anticipated lifestyle series, *With Love, Meghan*, which premiered in March 2025, drew significantly lower numbers. According to analytics firm Samba TV, the first week of the new series reached only 526,000 U.S. households. This number is particularly disappointing when compared to the 2.1 million U.S. households that watched the first week of *Harry & Meghan*. The figures suggest that while the public is intensely interested in the couple's personal narrative, their interest in lifestyle content hosted by the Duchess is far more niche.

3. 38% Rotten Tomatoes: The Critical Reception

The critical consensus for *With Love, Meghan* has been overwhelmingly negative. The show has an overall Rotten Tomatoes rating of 38%. Furthermore, reports from early 2025 indicated that the debut episode of the lifestyle series initially scored a rare 0% on the Tomatometer, signifying a complete lack of positive critical reviews upon release. Critics have widely panned the content, with one reviewer stating they "lost the will to live." This critical failure, combined with the low viewership, has been cited as a major blow to the Duchess's aspirations as a solo content creator.

The Future of the $100 Million Deal: Low Rankings and Contract Renewal

The performance of the newer Archewell content has shifted the conversation from record-breaking success to contract viability. The overall streaming performance metrics reveal a troubling trend for the partnership's longevity.

4. Ranked #383: The *Heart of Invictus* Underperformance

Prince Harry's docuseries, *Heart of Invictus* (released in 2023), also struggled to gain significant traction, attracting just 300,000 views in one reported metric. In another analysis, the program was ranked at a dismal number 383 in a list of Netflix programs. This low ranking and viewership for a project closely tied to Prince Harry's passion project further fueled the media narrative that the couple's non-personal content is failing to resonate with the mass streaming audience. The project *Polo* was also reported to have an extremely low ranking, placing 3,442nd place.

5. 25 Countries: The Unexpected Holiday Win

Despite the overall poor performance of the main series, a specific project proved that the Duchess still holds significant cultural weight: the *With Love, Meghan* Holiday Special. This special episode was reported to have scored big ratings, charting in the Daily Netflix Top 10 in over 25 countries. This unexpected success suggests that seasonal, uplifting, and highly-produced special events featuring the Duchess may be the key to future success, rather than a full-season lifestyle series.

Topical Authority: Analyzing the Archewell-Netflix Strategy

The ratings data reveals a clear intention and a significant challenge for Archewell Productions. The strategy appears to be built on leveraging the unparalleled global curiosity surrounding the Royal Family and the Sussexes' story, then pivoting to lifestyle and humanitarian content. The data, however, indicates a major disconnect between these two content types.

The 'Royal Curiosity' Factor

The phenomenal success of *Harry & Meghan* proves that the "Royal Curiosity" factor is a massive engine for viewership. This content is unique to the couple and cannot be replicated by other producers. It is the core asset of the $100 million deal. The documentary's performance sets a high bar that other projects, regardless of their quality, will struggle to meet.

The Lifestyle Content Challenge

The critical and commercial failure of *With Love, Meghan* highlights the challenge of competing in the saturated lifestyle content market. The show's low Rotten Tomatoes score and poor viewership suggest that the Duchess, while a major celebrity, has not yet established herself as a compelling lifestyle host capable of drawing millions away from established competitors. The low performance of *Heart of Invictus* and *Live to Lead* further underscores the difficulty in translating their celebrity into success for non-personal, documentary-style projects.

As the initial multi-year contract nears its end, the future of the Archewell-Netflix partnership is uncertain. Reports have suggested that the $100 million deal may not be renewed due to the abysmal ratings of the newer content. The streaming giant is now faced with a difficult decision: is the occasional, record-breaking success of a royal-themed project worth the investment, despite the consistent underperformance of all other content? The unexpected success of the holiday special may offer a potential path forward, focusing on high-impact, short-form specials rather than traditional series. The ratings clearly indicate that the audience wants to see the Sussexes, but only on their terms—when the content directly engages with their unique, globally-fascinating story.

meghan markle netflix show ratings
meghan markle netflix show ratings

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