Netflix renews Shonda Rhimes deal, sets latest partnership with a YouTuber

Bridgerton’s fifth season is currently in production in London

Netflix

Netflix has struck a new five-year overall deal with Shonda Rhimes and her prodco Shondaland, keeping the streaming giant in business exclusively with one of Hollywood’s most bankable showrunners.

Under the renewed deal, Shondaland will continue to exclusively produce series, movies and games for Netflix, which said the agreement would also see the companies continuing to find opportunities in merchandising and live events tied to Shondaland’s IP.

The renewal of one of the biggest showrunner deals in Hollywood comes with season five of Bridgerton currently in production in London, UK.

According to Netflix, the Bridgerton franchise, which includes four released seasons of the flagship show in addition to spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, has driven 610 million views since the beginning of 2023.

Other projects produced by Shondaland for Netflix include scripted series Inventing Anna and The Residence and documentaries Black Barbie and Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Rhimes, who also create Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, has been under an overall deal with Netflix since 2017.

“For almost a decade, Netflix has provided Shondaland with the autonomy and support to tell our kind of stories – stories that both entertain and reflect diversity and humanity in a way that resonates with audiences around the world,” said Rhimes.

Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria added that the “partnership keeps proving that Shonda’s instincts aren’t just brilliant storytelling – they’re a blueprint for what a hit can become.”

The Kevin Langue Show

Elsewhere, Netflix revealed a partnership with YouTuber Kevin Langue, the latest in a growing line of deals with creators that primarily make content for the Google-owned platform.

Langue, who is known for making videos centered on guessing games and social experiments, has two main channels on YouTube: The Kevin Langue Show and Kevin Langue 2. The former has more than 5.4 million subscribers and has amassed 2.6 billion lifetime views.

New episodes from both channels will begin launching on Netflix on September 5, while a curated selection of prior episodes have also been licensed by Netflix.

The deal with Langue comes after Netflix has recently struck similar deals with culinary creator Nick DiGiovanni and the Stokes Twins, as well as licensing deals with a range of digital publishers, including BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast and Penske Media.