Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary series on the sport of polo failed to make the top ten in Britain, America or any of the streaming giant’s other regional markets.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were listed as executive producers on the five-part series simply called ‘Polo’ that dropped on December 10.
The series has been dogged by scathing reviews from audiences and critics alike in the days after its release. The dismal ratings were first reported by Newsweek.
The show did not invest in a poster campaign, releasing only a trailer on YouTube. Prince Harry, 40, who has played polo all his life, wrote a two-line statement on Netflix’s website.
‘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,’ the prince said. ‘We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport – and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.’
Fans of the royal couple will be disappointed to learn that they only appear in the opening sequence and the final episode of the show. They were filmed at a charity polo tournament in Wellington, Florida.
A source told Closer, a British tabloid magazine, that neither Harry nor Meghan, 43, had much control over the direction of the program.
‘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.
‘Polo’ followed the lives of competitors in the US Open Polo Championship, focusing on dramatic events like an on-field injury and a rivalry between and father and son.
Eric Schiffer, chair of Reputation Management Consultants, 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.’
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the viewing figures for Polo.
A two-star review from The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage described the show as Prince Harry’s ‘unintentionally hilarious profile of the world’s stupidest sport.’
He went on to say: ‘Fixtures are chosen by popping confetti-filled balloons, obnoxiously privileged players weep in darkened rooms when they lose … this documentary about the royal’s hobby is like a spoof.’
UK paper The Times said Prince Harry ‘made a TV show only he would watch,’ calling it ‘tedious’ and ‘utterly unrelatable.’
‘Polo’ didn’t fare much better with audiences, who gave it a 27 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
This marks the latest in a series of streaming projects pursued by Harry and Meghan that have flopped or failed to find a consistent audience, despite Netflix inking a contract with them said to be worth $100 million in September 2020.
‘Live to Lead’ was their second documentary and was released in late December 2022.
It featured interviews with prominent world leaders and activists including late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and climate warrior Greta Thunberg. It currently has a 15 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘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.
Like ‘Polo’, the Invictus documentary failed to crack Netflix’s top ten list and was similarly panned by critics.
‘Harry & Meghan,’ the 2022 documentary where the couple revisited their decision to step down as working British royals, was a notable exception to the years-long trend of lackluster releases.
It had 81.6 million hours of viewing time in its first four days, making it one of Netflix’s biggest documentary debuts ever.
Throughout this year, there has been uncertainty over whether Harry and Meghan’s deal with Netflix will be renewed, especially since their multi-million dollar Spotify contract lapsed in 2023.
There are still rumblings about Meghan’s cooking show eventually coming out sometime next year, with it expected to celebrate ‘the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship.’
So far, there is no actual release date for the series. A Netflix insider recently told that the show may not see the light of day.