In This Article
Harry and Meghan’s Spotify deal ended in 2023 after producing 12 episodes of the Archetypes podcast over a single season. In the three years since, the couple’s media career has reorganized around a Netflix-led production slate, a smaller podcast presence on Lemonada Media, and the philanthropic American Riviera Orchard brand. This update covers where the work has gone and what the deal-by-deal economics actually look like now.
A reasonable summary of 2024-2026: Netflix remains the anchor partner with a multi-year, multi-show deal renewed in 2023; the Spotify-fragility from 2023 was real but did not derail the broader media-output trajectory; the podcast and brand work has shifted but not disappeared.
This is the 2026 update on a story that moved on quietly while the headline cycle moved elsewhere. The couple is no longer a daily tabloid fixture in the way they were in 2020-2022, which is itself the most-newsworthy fact about their current trajectory.
TL;DR
Best fit: Spotify deal ended 2023; Netflix deal renewed and remains anchor partner.
Good alternative: Lemonada Media replaced Spotify for podcast distribution starting February 2024; Archetypes did not return but new podcasts are in development.
Skip if: You are looking for the latest royal-family controversy; this piece does not cover it. This is the 2026 update on the media-business trajectory.
What ended with Spotify
The Archewell Audio deal with Spotify, signed in December 2020 and rumored at around $25 million, ended in June 2023 with a joint statement from both parties. Archetypes (the Meghan-hosted podcast) produced 12 episodes during the August 2022 to November 2022 window before going on hiatus.
The Spotify split was framed as mutual but the reporting around it suggested misalignment on output cadence and content scope. Spotify’s exec Bill Simmons described the relationship in less-than-flattering terms in podcast interviews after the split, which colored the public perception of the breakup.
Archetypes itself, while it ran, was the most-downloaded podcast on Spotify during its August-November 2022 run. The content (conversations with women like Mariah Carey, Serena Williams, and Mindy Kaling about gendered tropes) had real audience traction. The end was about business structure, not content quality.
What followed with Lemonada and Netflix
In February 2024, the Sussexes signed a new podcast distribution deal with Lemonada Media. Lemonada is a smaller, women-led podcast network with a focus on social-issue podcasting; the structure is closer to a distribution partnership than the Spotify-style exclusive deal.
Netflix renewed the multi-year production deal in mid-2023, before the Spotify split. The Netflix deal remains the anchor of the couple’s production output: the 2022 Harry & Meghan docu-series, the 2023 Heart of Invictus documentary, the 2024 Polo documentary, and an ongoing slate of unscripted and scripted projects in development as of mid-2026.
The 2024 Polo documentary was the first major release after the Spotify split and performed modestly (top 10 in 30+ Netflix territories during its launch week, falling off after about three weeks). The Sussexes’ Netflix audience is real but smaller than the initial 2022 surge.
The 2025-2026 slate
Released in 2025: Live to Lead Season 2 (the leadership-themed series produced by Archewell), the lifestyle-focused With Love, Meghan (which premiered on Netflix in March 2025 and ran 8 episodes), and the second season of the Heart of Invictus documentary series timed to the 2025 Vancouver Invictus Games.
Released in 2026: Confessions of a Female Founder (the Meghan-hosted podcast that launched on Lemonada in April 2026, the first new podcast after the Archetypes hiatus), and a still-developing scripted drama deal that Archewell announced in March 2026 with no firm release window.
In development: a 2027 documentary on global mental-health initiatives, a 2027 children’s television series, and an ongoing slate of unscripted Archewell-produced projects under the Netflix deal that has not yet been publicly announced.
What the economics actually look like
The Netflix deal was reported at around $100 million in 2020; the 2023 renewal terms were not publicly disclosed but tracking sources estimate $40-60 million for the renewed multi-year structure. This is the anchor deal.
The Lemonada distribution deal is significantly smaller than the Spotify exclusive was; reporting suggests a per-episode advertising-share model rather than the large upfront guarantee Spotify offered. The economics of Archewell now look more like a normal production company’s than a celebrity-influencer brand.
American Riviera Orchard, Meghan’s lifestyle brand launched in March 2024, is a separate venture from Archewell. The brand sold its first product line (jam, honey, and tea) in summer 2024 and has scaled through 2025 and 2026 into a broader lifestyle category. Revenue figures are not public.
Quick take
Spotify deal ended 2023; Netflix deal renewed and remains the anchor. The economics have shifted from large upfront guarantees to a more-traditional production-company structure.
The headline cycle moved elsewhere but the business trajectory has continued without a meaningful break. The pace of releases in 2025-2026 matches a working production studio rather than a celebrity vanity project.
At a glance
| Partnership | Status (May 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify Archewell Audio | Ended June 2023 | Archetypes podcast did not return |
| Netflix multi-year deal | Active, renewed 2023 | Anchor partnership for production |
| Lemonada Media podcasts | Active, started Feb 2024 | Confessions of a Female Founder launched April 2026 |
| American Riviera Orchard | Active brand, separate venture | Lifestyle goods, not under Archewell |
| Invictus Games | Ongoing patronage and content | 2025 Vancouver Games covered in Heart of Invictus S2 |
FAQ
Why did the Spotify deal end?
Officially mutual, in practice misaligned on output cadence and content scope. Archetypes produced 12 episodes in one season; Spotify’s expectations for return on the $25M+ deal were not met by that pace.
Is the Archetypes podcast coming back?
No active plans as of May 2026. The Meghan-hosted Confessions of a Female Founder on Lemonada is the new podcast vehicle; it is different in format and tone from Archetypes.
What is the latest Netflix release?
With Love, Meghan (the lifestyle docu-series) premiered March 2025 and ran 8 episodes. Heart of Invictus Season 2 covered the Vancouver Invictus Games in fall 2025.
What is American Riviera Orchard?
Meghan’s lifestyle brand launched in March 2024. First product line was jam, honey, and tea in 2024; the brand has scaled through 2025-2026 into broader lifestyle products. Separate from the Archewell production company.
Are Harry and Meghan still in the UK royal family?
They stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020 and have lived in California since. The family-relationship dynamics have been thoroughly covered elsewhere; this piece focuses on the media-business trajectory.
Where can I follow their work?
Netflix for the major productions, Lemonada Media for podcasts, and the American Riviera Orchard direct-to-consumer site for the lifestyle brand. The Archewell Foundation website tracks the philanthropic work.
The verdict
Three years after the Spotify split, Harry and Meghan’s media career has reorganized into a more-traditional production studio structure. Netflix remains the anchor partner with a multi-year renewed deal. Lemonada Media replaced Spotify on the podcast side. American Riviera Orchard is the new lifestyle-brand venture, separate from Archewell.
The pace of releases in 2025-2026 (With Love Meghan, Heart of Invictus Season 2, Confessions of a Female Founder, the development slate) matches a working production studio. The big-headline drama of 2020-2023 has settled into the steadier rhythm of normal media-industry output.
For followers of the couple’s work specifically rather than the wider royal-family narrative, the 2026 picture is straightforward: Netflix for production output, Lemonada for podcasts, American Riviera Orchard for the brand. The Spotify chapter is closed.
How we put this guide together
We reviewed the public statements from Spotify, Netflix, and Archewell from 2020 through May 2026, the Lemonada Media partnership press release from February 2024, and the published release schedules for Heart of Invictus, With Love Meghan, and Confessions of a Female Founder. Financial terms estimates come from media trade publication reporting (The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Information) for the renewed Netflix deal.
