Netflix commissions original series from YouTube influencer sensation The Sidemen
YouTube sensations The Sidemen
Netflix is looking to expand its ties with the creator economy through a newly inked commission for the enormously popular YouTube influencer group, The Sidemen.
The global streamer has greenlit a second season of The Sidemen’s long-form reality show Inside, which sees influencers and reality stars confined in a house for one week for the chance to win up to £1m (US$1.26m).
Season one of the show was created, produced and released independently on YouTube by The Sidemen in June. Netflix has now boarded the second season, with production currently underway in the UK. The upcoming seven-episode season will feature 12 content creators and debut exclusively on Netflix.
In addition, Netflix has commissioned a US version of the format, set to go into production shortly.
The content creators that will be featured in the shows have not yet been revealed.
The Sidemen – which is comprised of Ethan ‘Behzinga’ Payne, Harry ‘W2S’ Lewis, Joshua ‘Zerkaa’ Bradley, Olajide ‘KSI’ Olatunji, Simon ‘Miniminter’ Minter, Tobi ‘Tbjzl’ Brown and Vikram ‘Vikkstar123’ Barn – will executive produce both the UK and US projects.
The show will be produced by Sidemen Productions’ Victor Bengtsson, Jas Marva, Anna Sirius and Henry White.
The greenlight comes after Netflix earlier this year premiered an original documentary focused on the UK-based group, which has amassed more than 21 million YouTube subscribers and 6.5 billion views with its sketches, pranks and video game commentary content.
In an interview with BBC News, The Sidemen said they felt they had “hit the limit” on what they believed could be done with their YouTube audience and were moving to “something even bigger.”
“When we came up with the idea of Inside, we knew we wanted to shake up the game. We all grew up watching reality TV and are big fans of the drama and jeopardy that come with it,” the group added in a press release announcing the Netflix deal.
“Combining that with a prize fund and the challenges that our fans know us for, we knew people would be hooked. We are so proud of the first series and now with Netflix on board for a second season and a US version, this is just the start.”
