FILE PHOTO: Britain鈥檚 Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive for the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
LOS ANGELES 鈥� Britain鈥檚 Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will produce and host podcasts for Spotify鈥檚 streaming service, the Swedish company said on Tuesday, starting with a holiday special that will be released this month.
Under a multi-year agreement, the couple鈥檚 newly formed Archewell Audio will produce programming that 鈥渦plifts and entertains audiences around the world鈥� and features 鈥渄iverse perspectives and voices,鈥� Spotify said in a statement.
The podcasts will be available free through Spotify, the company that leads the streaming music market. Spotify also offers more than 1.5 million podcast titles such as 鈥淭he Michelle Obama Podcast鈥� and 鈥淢ama Knows Best鈥� by influencer Addison Rae, and reaches more than 320 million active users per month.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Harry and Meghan鈥檚 first podcast installment will be a holiday special featuring 鈥渟tories of hope and compassion鈥� to celebrate the new year, the statement said. Their first complete series is expected next year.
鈥淲hat we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,鈥� the couple said in a joint statement.
鈥淲ith the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other鈥檚 stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are,鈥� the pair added.
The deal is the latest move by Harry and Meghan, known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to make a living outside of the royal family.
The couple moved to Southern California with their infant son Archie this year after stepping back from royal duties in January. In September, they signed an exclusive multi-year production deal for TV programming with Netflix Inc.