Asep Darmawan
EXCLUSIVE: The Sidemen, the British juggernaut of digital entertainment, are once again rewriting the rulebook for creator-led content. Sidemen Productions, the group’s dedicated content arm, has officially unveiled Sidemen Presents: SideMenu, a high-stakes, four-part culinary competition that promises to bridge the gap between grassroots YouTube fandom and the polished, high-budget world of global streaming platforms.
In an unprecedented move, the series will utilize a staggered, hybrid release schedule across both Prime Video and the group’s MoreSidemen YouTube channel. This strategy represents a bold evolution in how top-tier digital creators distribute their IP, signaling a move toward a "platform-agnostic" future where the boundary between web-native content and traditional streaming services continues to blur.
The Concept: Chaos in the Kitchen
SideMenu is not your typical sanitized cooking show. True to the Sidemen’s brand—which favors unpredictable humor, high energy, and competitive stakes—the series forces the group’s members into a culinary gauntlet.
The core cast for the project includes Behzinga, Miniminter, TBJZL, Vikkstar, and Zerkaa, supported by frequent collaborator Jakey Davies. Notably absent is KSI, the group’s most high-profile member, who was unavailable for filming due to conflicting commitments.
Each episode challenges the participants to execute a three-course meal (starter, main, and dessert), with teams rotating to ensure fresh dynamics. The competition is judged by industry professionals, including YouTube foodie Harrison Webb and the culinary collective Sorted Food. To keep the competition from becoming too predictable, the producers have integrated "mystery box" twists—elements of sabotage and advantage that promise to throw the kitchen into absolute chaos.
Chronology: A Staggered Streaming Strategy
The distribution plan for SideMenu is perhaps its most fascinating element. By splitting the release, the Sidemen are effectively attempting to cater to their core YouTube audience while simultaneously using Prime Video to capture a more mainstream demographic.
- Thursday, June 18: The series kicks off with Episode One, premiering exclusively on the MoreSidemen YouTube channel.
- Friday, June 19: Prime Video takes the lead, premiering Episode Two, while simultaneously making Episode One available to its subscribers.
- Friday, June 26: The third installment launches on the Amazon streamer.
- Friday, July 3: The grand finale debuts on Prime Video.
Following these initial Prime Video drops, the remaining episodes (two, three, and four) will be rolled out on the MoreSidemen channel on a two-week delay, incentivizing fans to choose their preferred viewing platform while ensuring the content eventually reaches the group’s massive, free-to-watch subscriber base.
The Context: A Pattern of Disruption
This project is not an isolated experiment. The Sidemen—who command a collective audience of over 160 million subscribers—have spent the last several years aggressively testing the limits of content distribution. Their trajectory has seen them transition from bedroom creators to television-grade producers.
The most notable precedent for this strategy was the reality series Inside. Originally launched as a YouTube competition, the show’s success forced an industry re-evaluation when it unexpectedly migrated to Netflix in 2024. That move was a watershed moment, proving that digital-first formats could hold their own against traditional broadcast television.
The group’s foray into professional production has been rapid. In 2024, their documentary The Sidemen Show achieved the rare feat of topping the Netflix UK charts, effectively validating their brand in the eyes of mainstream commissioners. Furthermore, the launch of Inside Season 3 on Netflix this past March marked the first official "Original" title produced under the newly minted Sidemen Productions banner.
Official Perspectives: Bridging the Gap
Victor Bengtsson, CEO of Sidemen Entertainment, characterizes the move as a necessary evolution for creators in a shifting media landscape.
"Sidemen Productions has been working incredibly hard to build out a team that can operate in the ever-evolving world of content," Bengtsson said in an exclusive statement. "This four-part series is another step towards bringing creator-first productions to a larger audience, and to be able to do that with Prime Video is something we’re very excited about."
Bengtsson believes the dual-platform strategy is the key to expanding their footprint. "Our fans at home will be able to watch a new type of episodic content on our YouTube channel. Meanwhile, a new audience on Prime Video will find personalities from the creator space packaged on their TV screens. We’re very excited to see SideMenu come to life."
Supporting Data: The Infrastructure Behind the Success
The transition to a sophisticated production house has not happened by accident. It is the result of significant structural investments in the group’s management and IP development.
Earlier this year, Arcade—the management firm representing the Sidemen—underwent a strategic restructuring. They brought on Connor Suckling, a former executive at News UK and LADbible, to serve as the Head of Original Video. Suckling’s role is specifically designed to bridge the gap between viral internet content and long-form IP development, ensuring that the Sidemen’s projects are as commercially viable for streamers as they are engaging for YouTube audiences.
This professionalization was further bolstered last year when Thomas Benski’s production company, Lumina, made a seven-figure investment in Arcade. This capital injection has allowed the Sidemen to move away from scrappy, low-budget uploads and toward high-end, studio-quality productions that can compete with the likes of Amazon and Netflix.
Implications: The Future of the Creator Economy
The release of SideMenu serves as a case study for the "Creator-to-TV" pipeline. As traditional media conglomerates struggle to capture younger demographics, they are increasingly looking to groups like the Sidemen to fill the void.
However, the Sidemen are not merely "talent" being hired by streamers. They are maintaining creative control, using their own production house to craft the narrative, and leveraging their own distribution channels to guarantee an audience. This "hybrid" approach offers a safety net: if a streaming partner’s algorithm fails, the group still has the direct line to their 160 million fans on YouTube.
The industry is watching closely. If SideMenu performs well on Prime Video, it will likely trigger a wave of similar deals, where streamers grant creators the budget and prestige of a television show, while allowing them to maintain their native digital identity.
As KSI continues his mainstream ascent—evidenced by his high-profile judging role on Britain’s Got Talent—and the rest of the group shifts focus toward original IP, the Sidemen are effectively transforming from a YouTube collective into a full-service media studio. Whether SideMenu can replicate the chart-topping success of their previous ventures remains to be seen, but the strategy behind it is undeniable: the Sidemen aren’t just creating content anymore; they are creating a new ecosystem for the future of entertainment.
With the release dates locked in and the kitchen equipment prepped for disaster, the group is once again daring their audience to follow them into uncharted territory. In the eyes of the Sidemen, the transition from screens to streamers is not just a career milestone—it is an inevitability.
Reynand Wu
Basiran
