Netflix Boards Feature Doc About British Social Media Stars The Sidemen

Jesse Whittock
·2 min read
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Netflix has acquired a doc about British YouTubers The Sidemen — the debut project from former YouTube EMEA content chief Luke Hyams’ production company.

A teaser posted yesterday on social media for uber-popular group confirmed the Netflix deal for The Sidemen Story, with a launch date of February 14 set.

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Hyams is directing, with Pangaea co-founder Sunita Mirchandani Hyams producing. Arcade Media is also attached. Luke Hyams said the doc would follow “an inspirational decade plus [a] story of friendship, ambition, perseverance and seven grown men who still love to play Hide N Seek.” It includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, including contributions from the group, commentators and industry sources.

The doc has quietly been in the works since 2022.

The Sidemen — a group comprising web personalities Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji (KSI), Simon Minter (Miniminter), Joshua Bradley (Zerkaa), Tobit ‘Tobi’ Brown (TBJZL), Ethan Payne (Behzinga), Vikkstar123, and Harry Lewis (W2S) — have amassed well over 100 million subscribers across platforms, including nearly 21 million on their main YouTube channel. Their videos include challenges, games and video game commentaries.

Frontman KSI has since branched out into boxing and rapping, while the group has launched branded high-street stores, clothing lines and membership subscriptions.

Ex-YouTube EMEA Originals boss Hyams and Mirchandani Hyams launched Pangaea in late 2022, and The Sidemen Story has been the company’s first major doc production. Hyams exited the Google-owned streamer in March 2022, as the platform pivoted away from original content.

Fifth Season has international distribution rights to The Sidemen Story. Netflix’s pick-up covers the UK, we understand. The streamer didn’t respond to request for comment at press time.

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