A month after launch, The Sidemen’s adaptation of Fremantle Media format Supermarket Sweep has racked up an impressive 5.5m views on YouTube. As a result, there are reports that the two partners are digging through Fremantle’s vast format vault in search of something else that can be given The Sidemen treatment.
At a basic level, this kind of partnership is a no brainer – since it combines the proven mechanics of a classic format with the immense pulling power of social media. Right now, for example, The Sidemen channel is up to around 22.2m subscribers – an incredible platform for any IP owner seeking to dust down old formats.
Indeed, Supermarket Sweep is not the group’s first foray into formats. Already, they have worked with ITV Studios on a Sideman-themed edition of The Chase.
But this new creative marriage does raise a few interesting questions:
Firstly, it seems unlikely that The Sidemen are going to want to do an entire series of Supermarket Sweep. Presumably, the appeal from their point of view is the novelty value of tapping into a nugget of nostalgia – rather than producing a workhorse series that runs for 10 or 20 weeks. As such, the primary value to the rights holder, in this case Fremantle, is more about the marketing value of the exercise. In other words, will The Sidemen’s involvement convert into format sales around the world?
Secondly, it is unclear, as yet, how many formats and creators can fuse so effortlessly. The Sidemen have demonstrated a remarkable versatility on their rise to the top – which is partly down to the ensemble nature of their proposition. But which other creators could add value to formats in the same way? Keep in mind that format owners are typically very protective about the core elements of their most successful formats – so they will need to tread carefully to make such partnerships work.
Finally, from a creator perspective, there is an obvious question regarding whether it makes sense to support a third party’s IP, when they could be creating their own formats. The durable opportunity for digital first talent is to build their own formats – as Mr Beast has done by launching Beast Games on Amazon Prime. It’s also worth reading what Bart Frank has to say on this matter on The Drop.
Undoubtedly, The Sidemen and Fremantle have opened up a fascinating new area of potential development for the content business. But it will be interesting to see how far and how quickly this model extend across more creators and formats.
