YOUTUBE TRIO

Plus a classic quiz show for a public broadcaster

YOUTUBE COOKING DUO

By now, we have all come to accept that YouTube is evolving into the new mainstream TV—or at least a massive chunk of it. This transformation of Google’s platform is largely driven by a proliferation of genres that increasingly mirror traditional television. The twist? They are reimagined and filtered through the unique lenses of established creators who already boast massive, built-in fanbases.

Naturally, this strategic repositioning wouldn’t be complete without one of the most beloved and enduring unscripted genres: the cooking show. Two recent formats perfectly illustrate this trend.

The first is Sidemen Present: SideMenu, from the renowned British YouTube collective, The Sidemen. The show premieres on the MoreSidemen YouTube channel on June 18, with Prime Video exclusively dropping the second episode the very next day. The third episode lands on Prime Video on June 26, followed by the finale on July 3. Interestingly, episodes two, three, and four will hit MoreSidemen two weeks after their Prime Video debut. This “tactical alliance” between YouTube and major SVOD platforms—or even linear TV—is fast becoming a staple of the modern media landscape.

Format-wise, Sidemen Present: SideMenu sees the collective and various guest contestants tackling themed culinary challenges, complete with rotating teams, surprise twists, and rigorous judging from professional chefs and food experts.

The second format is Guy’s Feast Club, produced by Made In Network, which premieres on June 11 exclusively on Food Network’s YouTube channel. Here, the iconic American restaurateur, author, and TV presenter is on a mission to serve up epic food alongside unfiltered conversations with celebrities and influencers. In each episode, off-the-hook dishes pave the way for in-depth chats fueled by flavor, fun, and a healthy dash of competition.

As these examples highlight, while genre and format remain vital, the true critical success factor in this new television paradigm is the style and appeal of the creators. They now carry even more weight than in the traditional broadcasting era... but we will dive deeper into that topic in a future issue.

YOUTUBE FACTUAL

And then, of course, there is factual programming: the quintessential flexible and targeted genre, perfectly suited to any platform. On YouTube, Creation Content has partnered with Passion Distribution and digital channel group UpStream Media on a new factual series, Most Wanted With Billy Billingham.

The 10 x 20-minute blue-light series follows the British former soldier, author, television personality, and security consultant—best known as the Chief Instructor on the Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins—as he embeds with police forces across the UK during high-risk operations targeting some of the country’s most wanted criminals.

Combining raw frontline action with Billingham’s expertise, the series offers a gripping, unfiltered look at modern policing, capturing not only the intensity of the manhunts but also the human stories behind them. Conceived as a digital-first production for UpStream Media’s Blue Light YouTube channel, the series will also feature on Billingham’s newly launched YouTube channel, managed by Creation.

Creating thematic channels around a specific talent (see, for example, Ant & Dec and Jimmy Carr, to stick to the UK) is, after all, a widespread trend to build a ‘critical mass’ of content. Otherwise, individual pieces risk getting lost in the vast sea of Google’s platform.

SPANISH TUNNEL

And finally, a classic quiz show for a traditional broadcaster—which, it is worth remembering, still forms the backbone of our industry.

According to data presented by Geneva-based consultancy The Wit at the recently concluded Conecta Fiction & Entertainment, Spain closed the 2025-26 season as the world’s top buyer of unscripted formats. This impressive figure sharply contrasts with its export performance: during the same period, the country managed to create and sell just one format internationally.

Bucking this trend is the recent news that public broadcaster RTVE is preparing El túnel: Avanza y Gana (The Tunnel: Advance and Win). According to the network, this original prime-time game show mixes knowledge, strategy, speed, and excitement on a “spectacular set never before seen on television.”

Created by Eureka Studios, produced in collaboration with Fremantle Spain, and distributed globally by Fremantle, the show brings together a group of contestants who must advance through a tunnel by answering questions and winning elimination duels. To stay in the running and reach the final for a prize of up to €150,000, participants must constantly weigh when to take risks, how to strategize, and who to face.

With stunning staging and relentless tension that lasts until the very last second, El túnel: Avanza y Gana promises to transform every duel into a true battle of nerves, testing not just the contestants’ trivia skills, but their psychological endurance.

The concept is undoubtedly intriguing, and it remains to be seen if these ambitious premises will translate to the screen.

For Spanish readers eager to participate, casting is now open at: www.rtve.es/castingeltunel.

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NEWS IN A NUTSHELL

• London-based TV format distribution company Can’t Stop Media has secured the exclusive global distribution rights (excluding the UK) to the hit factual entertainment format Pilgrimage. Originally produced by Manchester-headquartered prodco CTVC, the series has been a ratings winner and a staple of BBC Two’s primetime schedule since its debut in 2018. The format follows a group of celebrities from different backgrounds, each with their own faiths, beliefs and world views, as they forego modern luxuries and set off on a physically demanding and emotional journey along ancient pilgrimage routes.

• TelevisaUnivision is gearing up for the premiere of ¿Quién es mejor? (Who Is Better?), a new original talent show produced in-house by Miguel Ángel Fox. The format will debut on Sunday, June 7, airing in prime time on Las Estrellas in Mexico and streaming on ViX. The comedy reality series brings together contestants showcasing “unusual and impressive” skills across every possible category, ranging “from the artistic to the bizarre, surprising, and hilarious.”

• Banijay Rights has announced the first international deal for its comedy game show format Let’s Play Ball with Bell Media’s Crave streaming platform for French-speaking Canada. Originally co-developed by Banijay Benelux label EndemolShine Nederland, Talpa Studios and Signal.Stream, the format sees two teams go head-to-head in a race to transport a massive colored ball across a series of difficult terrains, from city streets to rivers. The 10 x 60-minute French-Canadian adaptation will be produced by Sphere Media. The original was first piloted on YouTube via StukTV, where it drew more than 1.2 million views. It was then produced by EndemolShine Nederland and Signal.Stream for SBS6, with a second season set to air this summer.

• Floresta, the Brazilian production company owned by Sony Pictures Television (SPT), is preparing a new slate of projects to capitalize on what it considers a growing demand for original business and game show formats in Brazil. During the LA Screenings, the production company presented Pitch Against the Clock, a race-against-time entrepreneurship format, to Latin American buyers.

  The premise follows first-time entrepreneurs who must track down high-profile investors in various parts of the city and pitch their projects to them before time runs out. The Brazilian production company is also working on The Web, an original game show where six contestants must combine knowledge, strategy, and luck to win a cash prize by answering trivia questions—although they can never do so individually. To participate in each round, contestants must form a “web” of two or more players, who then share the money if they answer correctly.