Created by Spain-based iZen, the TV show “Insiders” has become the first original Spanish reality show on Netflix. The goal was to be innovative and at the same time restore the essence of old reality TV.
“Insiders” was produced by José Velasco, president and founder of iZen, who for years was behind the local version of “Big Brother,” where reality TV took off.
Velasco and Alvaro Diaz, Entertainment Director of Netflix Spain, spoke about reality TV at the Conecta Fiction & Entertainment industry meeting held last week in Toledo.
On “Insiders” hosted by “Money Heist” star Najwa Al-Nimri, 12 contestants believe they are in the final stage of a reality show selection call for which they have no details. But the reality show has already started, without them even knowing it. The winner received a prize of 100,000 euros ($105,612).
The first season of “Insiders” was released on October 21; Season two premiered on May 19.
“It was a challenge to put together our unplanned strategy and we wanted to do it in a different way: to innovate. From there, Velasco came back with a proposal, trying to offer something that had not been seen,” explained Diaz.
“What really made the first reality show different was that feeling of innocence, that you didn’t know what was going to happen. We came up with the idea of combining the concept of a hidden camera with the concept of a reality show.”
“Insiders” is a very ambitious production terms: With a crew of about 100 people and strong technical involvement, it takes place on 17,200 square feet with over 250 hidden microphones and 70 hidden cameras.
“Being able to watch and hear the contestants without their knowledge creates the kind of huge hidden-camera show in which you can’t miss an aspect, which is coexistence because it is essential,” Velasco argued.
For Netflix, “This was not only our first entertainment bet in Spain, but also the first time that all episodes of a TV show had been shared online,” Diaz said.
Another challenge was making the show available in the 190 countries where Netflix operates simultaneously. “We have to adapt to the way viewers now want to consume content, with access to everything from day one,” said Diaz, who defined “Insiders” as “universal content.”
Both seasons were taped together, prior to the show’s release, to avoid contestants discovering the show’s hoax.
Despite this, Insiders doesn’t seem to be completely gone now. “iZen Creative has already thought of many options to reinvent the format,” Diaz explained.
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