Netflix signs YouTube phenom Ms. Rachel, as the creator ecosystem and Hollywood become increasingly intertwined
Netflix
- Netflix is getting into business with YouTube star Ms. Rachel.
- The streamer will license and compile the creator's massively popular kids' content.
- Streamers are increasingly tapping YouTube-born creators and formats.
Netflix has signed another deal with a top YouTube star — a signal that the lines between the creator ecosystem and Hollywood are continuing to blur.
The streamer's latest pact is with Rachel Accurso, an education creator known by children the world over as Ms. Rachel. She's beloved for her sunny disposition and signature pink headband. Four episodes from Ms. Rachel are set to drop on Netflix on January 27, with more installments arriving later this year.
Netflix has struggled to attract young viewers in the past and has long considered YouTube one of its biggest competitors.
That's in part because YouTube has emerged as the victor in TV screen viewership, Nielsen data shows. The venue is crucially important to advertisers. (A top YouTube executive previously told Business Insider that 2024 was "the year of living room.")
The video giant has managed this feat without premium content. YouTube previously commissioned originals from native stars like Liza Koshy and Joey Graceffa for its YouTube Premium subscription service, but has largely abandoned those efforts. That's paved the way for streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime to make inroads with YouTube talent.
Netflix's YouTuber collaborations date back to 2016, when it premiered "Haters Back Off," a comedy series with comedian Colleen Ballinger. The company also airs content from CoComelon, a kids' content hub that rose to renown on YouTube and racks up hundreds of millions of hours of watchtime on Netflix.
Streamers are leaning into YouTube-born creators and formats
More recently, Netflix streamed a boxing match with Jake Paul that shattered its live-viewership records, and inked a deal with creator septet The Sidemen for the second season of their reality series, "Inside." The first season premiered on YouTube.
Accurso's deal also arrives as the most-subscribed creator on Earth, MrBeast, is in the midst of rolling out his own streaming series with Amazon Prime.
The competition show, "Beast Games," was beset by controversy and has been assailed by some critics. Still, it has hovered at the top of Prime's TV charts — currently ranked No. 2 in the US.
"Hopefully, this opens doors for other creators on streaming platforms," MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, wrote on X in December about the show's success.
Accurso's deal opens that door even further. It also signals how content creators and traditional Hollywood formats are merging.
In the past, Hollywood has slotted creators into familiar TV formats, like when NBC tapped Lilly Singh to host a late-night talk show, or when Hulu worked with the D'Amelio family on a reality show in the same vein as the Kardashians franchise.
Netflix's deal with Ms. Rachel, meanwhile, is a licensing agreement.
The Netflix episodes of "Ms. Rachel" will be a "curated compilation" of her existing content, including what she's already shared on YouTube. The approach could make the transition to Netflix all the more seamless.