In Britain, America, and all other regional markets for the streaming behemoth, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary series on the sport of “Polo” did not place in the top ten.
“Polo,” a five-part television series that premiered on December 10, listed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as executive producers.
In the days following its premiere, the show has been plagued by harsh criticism from both critics and viewers. Newsweek was the first to report on the sad ratings.
The show only released a trailer on YouTube and did not spend money on a poster campaign. On Netflix’s website, 40-year-old Prince Harry, who has played polo his entire life, posted a brief statement.
‘This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour. We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport – and the intensity of its high-stakes moments’, the prince said.
Only the show’s opening sequence and last episode featured the royal couple. They were captured on camera at a Wellington, Florida, charity polo match.
According to a source who spoke to the British tabloid magazine Closer, Harry and Meghan, 43, had little influence over the show’s course.
‘Truth is, it was pretty much out of their control. The bosses wanted the series to appeal to the masses and pushed this reality TV slant so it’s not entirely their fault,’ the source said.
Reputation Management Consultants chair Eric Schiffer told Newsweek:
‘It’s a pompous portrayal of privilege posing as a documentary. It feels fake. You could almost see an ad, “polo the new cure for insomnia, brought to you by royalty.”‘
He continued:
‘They’ve made it the new frontier of unrelatability. This ensures polo becomes even less popular for regular people. It just reeks of entitled and is disconnected, unrelatable.’
The Times, a UK newspaper, described Prince Harry’s “made a TV show only he would watch” as “utterly unrelatable” and “tedious.”
Although Netflix signed a deal with Harry and Meghan in September 2020 reportedly worth $100 million, this is the most recent in a string of streaming initiatives that have failed or failed to find a steady audience.
Their second documentary, “Live to Lead,” came out in late December 2022.
It included interviews with well-known global activists and leaders, such as Greta Thunberg, a climate activist, and the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court. As of right now, its Rotten Tomatoes rating is 15%.
‘Heart of Invictus’ came out the following summer and followed a group of competitors in the Invictus Games, a global sporting event for wounded service members founded by Prince Harry.
Similar to “Polo,” the Invictus documentary was criticized by critics and did not make it into Netflix’s top ten list.
A notable exception to the years-long pattern of mediocre releases was the 2022 documentary “Harry & Meghan,” in which the couple reexamined their decision to resign as working British royals.
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In its first four days of release, 81.6 million hours of content were viewed, making it one of Netflix’s most successful documentary debuts to date.
The renewal of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix contract has been a source of uncertainty throughout the year, particularly since their multi-million dollar Spotify contract expired in 2023.
Meghan’s cooking show, which is anticipated to honor “the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship,” is still rumored to be coming out sometime next year.
