The couple's documentary, which detailed their exit from royal life, managed to accumulate a combined 62 million hours of viewing on Netflix during the first half of 2023. However, it fell short of surpassing 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," along with series like "Emily in Paris" and "Outer Banks," ranked higher than their documentary.
To put this in perspective, 60 million hours of viewing are equivalent to one million people watching a one-hour episode once. In contrast, the first two seasons of the children's cartoon "Peppa Pig" collectively garnered over 140 million hours of viewing. Additionally, Megan's previous show, "Suits," which is over a decade old, outranked her latest efforts, with the first season securing the 73rd position.
Netflix had previously faced criticism for not being transparent about content performance, prompting the release of detailed viewership figures. The political thriller "The Night Agent" emerged as the most-viewed Netflix show in the first half of the year, with 812 million hours watched in just three months. It outperformed the second season of "Ginny & Georgia," which accumulated 665 million hours viewed over six months, and the revenge thriller "The Glory," which secured third place with 623 million hours watched.
Netflix's semiannual report encompassed over 18,000 titles and nearly 100 billion hours of viewing in total during the first half of the year. At the bottom of the list were almost 4,000 shows with just 100,000 hours viewed. This revelation raises questions about the accuracy of streaming services' claims regarding viewership figures, including those related to Harry and Megan's Netflix show.
While the Sussexes reportedly have two more years under their Netflix contract, Royal expert Richard Fitz Williams suggests that it might end sooner. The termination of their Spotify contract was considered a setback, and although their Netflix deal is worth $100 million and runs until 2025, their future with the streaming giant may be uncertain once the final season of "The Crown" is released. Their success with projects like the Romantic novel adaptation "Meet Me at the Lake" and Harry's recent Netflix series "Heart of Invictus" may influence their standing with the platform, especially given the latter's lengthy five-hour duration.
