The show will feature 15-minute episodes, each of which “will follow a journalist as they delve into a variety of topics and settings worldwide — from unexpected cultural phenomenons to controversial social issues.”
Netflix announced on Wednesday that it will be releasing a 20-episode documentary series that follows BuzzFeed News reporters as they develop their stories.
The series, “Follow This,” premieres July 9 on the streaming service, and is produced by BuzzFeed News (though several Netflix execs serve as executive producers).
The show will feature 15-minute episodes, each of which “will follow a journalist as they delve into a variety of topics and settings worldwide — from unexpected cultural phenomenons to controversial social issues,” Netflix and BuzzFeed said in a release. These episodes are relatively short for a Netflix original series, as the streaming giant hasn’t released much video that fits into the “mid-form” label.
The announcement of BuzzFeed’s Netflix series follows its in-development TV show for Oxygen, based on the investigative work of the BuzzFeed’s senior national reporter, Katie J.M. Baker.
BuzzFeed is not the only new-media outlet to seek out television or premium streaming distribution for videos, which has taken on a new importance in the wake of Facebook’s deprioritization of publisher content. Besides first-mover Vice with its HBO deal, other new-media companies with TV deals include Vox (with PBS, FYI, and Netflix), Ozy (PBS), Attn: (Showtime), and The Dodo (Animal Planet).
The first episode of “Follow This” will follow BuzzFeed reporter Scaachi Koul as she reports a story on the “enthusiastic proponents” of the so-called “head orgasm” ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response.
“We’re thrilled that Netflix saw the drama in the work of our journalism and the stories we tell. And we’re so pleased to have brought what we’ve learned to Netflix’s unmatched audience,” BuzzFeed News editor-in-chief Ben Smith said in a statement.
This article was originally published on Business Insider. Copyright 2018.
