The Netflix series starring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has been named the UK's most popular subscription TV show of the year, with an average of 4.5 million viewers tuning in during its first week.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex threw open the doors to behind-the-scenes royal life in their brand-new Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries, covering a wide range of topics, including their early connection and the strong media focus on their life.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also discussed harassment during press conferences hosted by the palace, unconscious bias, and their experiences since leaving the UK in the six-episode docuseries, which was divided into two parts.
Commercial success for the Sussexes
After it dropped on Netflix, the show has garnered a massive number of viewers, who are curious to discover behind-closed-doors truths about the British Royal Family. With such a huge global interest, Harry and Meghan's Netflix has so far been a smashing commercial success.
It has been announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Netflix's documentary series won against stiff competition to be crowned the most popular subscription TV show in the UK for the year. An average of 4.5 million people watched the first episode, which chronicled the courting of the royal couple, in its first week. Despite doing well with the public it would seem it hasn't gone down well within the Royal Family, with the couple being asked to vacate their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage.
Nevertheless, despite 4.5 million viewers for episode one of Harry & Meghan, this is significantly lower than ratings for recent World Cup matches and less than half the ratings for two of the most popular shows, the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
Additionally, it is slightly lower than the viewership for the BBC One episode of MasterChef: The Professionals that aired the week Harry & Meghan was published.
However, the Harry & Meghan series opening episode doubled that of The Crown, which only attracted 2.8 million viewers.
What are the other leading subscription-only series?
The viewing statistics, which were made public by the audience research company Barb, also demonstrate how 2022’s leading subscription-only series have been performing in the UK.
Episode one of the Star Wars spinoff Obi-Wan Kenobi was the most-viewed show on Disney+, with 3.1 million viewers in only a week following its debut in May.
Meanwhile, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was the most popular show on Amazon Prime Video, with 3.2 million viewers tuning in for the first episode.
However, the list, which contains 10 series, was heavily dominated by Netflix with 7 slots, including Harry and Meghan's controversial docuseries. According to the Mirror, other big releases on Netflix include the highest-rated episodes of the latest series of After Life (4.1 million), Stranger Things (3.9 million) and Bridgerton (3.4 million).
Meghan & Harry, which is directed by Liz Garbus, is the first film to arise from the couple's multi-year arrangement with Netflix when they stepped down as working royals in 2020, and is estimated to be worth roughly $100 million.
The series, which debuts on December 31, will include leaders and activists reflecting on their legacies and sharing themes of courage, compassion, humility, and optimism, according to Netflix. The Nelson Mandela Foundation, Blackwell & Ruth, and Harry and Meghan's Archewell Productions worked together to produce the show.
Harry did appear in the trailer of the show, saying:
‘This was inspired by Nelson Mandela, who once said what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.'
Before Meghan, who could be facing problems because of her ex-husband, followed: ‘But what difference we have made to the lives of others to determine the significance of the life we lead.’
Read more:
⋙ Harry and Meghan's house where they filmed Netflix docuseries up for sale
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle give fans a glimpse inside their first UK home
⋙ The new Harry & Meghan Netflix trailer sparks controversy
⋙ Everything you need to know about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s docuseries
