Controversial ‘Beast Games’ is Amazon’s biggest show since ‘Fallout’

nme.com:

YouTube personality MrBeast’s new reality show Beast Games has become the most-watched unscripted series ever on Amazon’s Prime Video platform, becoming their biggest show since Fallout.According to figures from the company, the first series reached 50million viewers in the 25 days since its premiere on December 19, making it the second biggest series debut since Fallout in April 2024, which achieved 65million viewers in its first 16 days.The worldwide reach of MrBeast’s content was also evident in the figures, as Amazon reported that 50 per cent of the show’s audience came from outside the US.

MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, co-created and hosts the show where 1,000 participants compete in various tasks for the chance to win a $5million prize.Despite this success, Beast Games has attracted some controversy through a lawsuit brought against Amazon and MrBeast from contestants on the show on September 16 last year.

The suit claimed the production failed to prevent sexual harassment, failed to pay minimum wage, and created conditions that caused “emotional distress”.MrBeast has yet to officially comment on the lawsuit, although he has replied to a tweet calling the claims “blown out of proportion”.

NME has reached out to Amazon for comment.MrBeast currently holds the most subscribers of any YouTube channel, with over 340million subscribers.