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Reality Show ‘House of Streams’ Set for Netflix Debut
Netflix is set to premiere a new reality competition show in the UK and Ireland titled “House of Streams”, following the adventures of eight Twitch influencers vying for a substantial Bitcoin prize. The series debuts on June 18th.
Created by Mark Holland of Stream House Media Productions, the show features eight professional Twitch streamers who will reside together in a Malta villa for a two-week duration. Nicole Holliday, host of the widely popular EA FIFA stream series on Twitch, will serve as the show’s emcee. Production was facilitated by the Malta Film Commission.
Bitcoin Grand Prize
Distinguishing this reality competition is a 1 BTC (£700,000 at current estimates) grand prize. Holland explained the choice of cryptocurrency as integral to the show’s identity: “Everything about House of Streams is different, so the final reward couldn’t have been a simple cash prize or a trip to the Maldives.”
The participating streamers hail from various countries, notably including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Twitch Culture
For those unfamiliar, Twitch streamers regularly interact with their “chat” community during broadcasts. Chat members influence streamer activities and can gift subscriptions containing cryptocurrency.
While not explicitly crypto-centric, the utilization of Bitcoin for a reality TV award contributes to the cryptocurrency’s mainstream normalization, particularly among youth audiences engaged with digital streaming platforms.
This follows previous attempts at crypto-exclusive reality shows, such as “Killer Whales,” which achieved a low IMDB rating of 2.9.
Interestingly, filming commenced when Bitcoin was trading near its recent $18,000 low (late 2022/early 2023). Contrastingly, the cryptocurrency has since experienced significant appreciation, surpassing £700,000 and recently exceeding $110,000, raising questions about the prize’s enduring relevance.
Holland believes “House of Streams” represents the future of reality television: “I think it will lead the way for shows that have real-time audience participation and will reshape the ‘real’ in reality TV.”