Despite controversies, Amazon’s ‘Beast Games’ is a hit

Article by Daniel Konstantinovic | Jan 17, 2025

The news: Amazon Prime Video has landed another hit with “Beast Games,” the reality competition series headed by Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, the most-subscribed creator on YouTube.

“Beast Games” gained an audience of 50 million viewers in its first 25 days, Amazon said last week, making it the second-largest original series launch on the platform in 2024 behind scripted series “Fallout.”

There’s a caveat: Amazon did not break out its criteria for counting viewers, making it unclear how many of those 50 million watched multiple episodes or even one full episode.

Why this matters: “Beast Games” was a significant departure for Donaldson, who largely made his fortune on YouTube. The show’s success could attract other top talent from YouTube and other platforms to Prime Video, and its similarity to Netflix’s “Squid Game” shows that one streamer’s success can be duplicated by others.

The success of “Beast Games” comes despite a storm of controversy around the production and Donaldson. Before the show’s release, Amazon and Donaldson were sued for unsafe conditions on set, raising concerns about whether parents would allow Donaldson’s largely underage audience to watch.
However, “Beast Games” appears to have survived the controversy. Its eye-catching premise (wherein 1,000 contestants compete for a $5 million prize) and release date around the holidays won it viewership that competed with other premium content, like the second season of the very show that inspired it.

Our take: Amazon’s most recent success solidifies its place as a provider of premium, high-attention content—both scripted and unscripted. “Beast Games” could serve as a crucial jumping-off point for the streamer to poach talent from competing services and platforms.