The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has made her much-anticipated return to the streaming world with her lifestyle series, “With Love, Meghan.” Launched on March 4, 2023, the show is a collaboration between Archewell Productions and the Intellectual Property Corporation, focusing on kitchen and garden themes. However, the series has had a modest start on Netflix UK, garnering attention but not quite the explosive viewership many had expected.
In its first week, “With Love, Meghan” attracted 561,000 viewers, placing it as the 17th most popular title on Netflix UK during that period. This figure is notably lower when compared to other recent releases, particularly the drama “Toxic Town,” which debuted just days earlier and captured an impressive 2.1 million viewers in its opening week. The stark contrast in viewership highlights the competitive nature of streaming content, where even established names like Meghan Markle face challenges in capturing audience attention.
The series consists of eight episodes, each featuring the Duchess engaging with celebrity friends while sharing homemaking tips and insights into her lifestyle. The first episode’s performance indicates a significant drop-off in viewership as the series progressed. The second episode attracted 441,000 viewers, while the third and fourth episodes saw numbers decline to 298,000 and 211,000, respectively. Subsequent episodes continued this downward trend, with the fifth episode drawing 135,000 viewers, and the final episode reaching just 94,000. This pattern suggests that while the initial curiosity surrounding the series may have drawn viewers in, sustaining that interest proved more challenging.
Demographic data reveals that approximately 70% of the audience for “With Love, Meghan” is female, which aligns with the show’s focus on lifestyle and homemaking. This targeted appeal may resonate well with a specific segment of Netflix’s audience, but it also raises questions about broader audience engagement and retention.
Despite the modest viewership numbers, “With Love, Meghan” has secured a place in the UK top 10 TV shows on Netflix, ranking seventh, and it also made its way into the Netflix US top 10 at the tenth position. This indicates that while the series may not have achieved blockbuster status, it still holds a significant presence on the platform.
Meghan Markle’s previous Netflix venture, “Harry & Meghan,” released in December 2022, set a high bar with an overnight audience of 2.4 million for its first episode. The stark difference in viewership between the two series underscores the varying levels of interest in different genres and formats. “Harry & Meghan” focused on the couple’s personal narrative and their departure from royal life, which likely attracted a broader audience due to the sensational nature of their story.
In light of the initial performance of “With Love, Meghan,” Netflix has ordered an additional eight episodes of the series, indicating that the platform remains committed to the project despite the early numbers. This decision suggests a belief in the potential for growth and audience engagement as the series continues to unfold.
As the series progresses, it will be interesting to see how viewership trends evolve and whether the Duchess of Sussex can capture the same level of interest that her previous projects achieved. The lifestyle genre presents unique challenges, particularly in maintaining viewer engagement over multiple episodes, and “With Love, Meghan” will need to navigate these hurdles to solidify its place in the competitive streaming landscape.
