Netflix is extending its YouTube-to-streaming pipeline with The Besties, the joint channel from Canada-born creators Mackenzie Turner and Lael Hansen. A collection of episodes is scheduled to arrive on Netflix in October 2026, timed to a sleepover-horror format with games, guest appearances and late-night scares.
What Netflix is getting
The Besties is not a start-up channel. The duo has built 3.26 million subscribers on the joint YouTube channel, with additional reach across their solo properties. Turner brings more than 5 million TikTok followers and 2.6 million subscribers on her personal Roblox channel; Hansen adds over 1.17 million YouTube subscribers on her main channel. That gives Netflix a pre-assembled audience that already watches on a regular cadence.
The October drop leans into the same Roblox roleplays, challenges and energetic vlogs that built the following, packaged for a Halloween window. Netflix has not yet named an exact premiere date.
The creator pipeline is now a slate strategy
This is not a one-off. In 2026, Netflix has turned YouTube-native titles into a repeatable acquisition and retention lever:
- Rhett & Link brought Good Mythical Morning to Netflix on September 7, 2026, with day-and-date episodes and spinoffs including Mythical Kitchen and Last Meals.
- The Amazing Digital Circus from GLITCH is releasing new episodes on Netflix the same day they go to YouTube.
- Ms. Rachel, Danny Go! and ChuChu TV are filling the family and preschool pipeline.
- Mark Rober, First We Feast/Hot Ones, Kill Tony and other digital-first titles show the strategy extending into adult and podcast formats.
Netflix has moved well beyond buying back catalogs: the platform now wants creator exclusives and day-and-date windows that pull active YouTube viewers into the subscription layer.
Why this matters for media planners
For brands and streaming buyers, the shift changes how creator-led content should be evaluated. These titles arrive with visible audience signals—subscriber counts, repeat viewing, short-form reach—before a single paid impression is served. That makes them useful for younger demos where traditional tune-in prompts are weaker.
The pattern to watch: Netflix is using YouTube as both a talent funnel and a distribution competitor. Every major creator deal reduces the chance that Gen Z and Gen Alpha viewing time leaves the Netflix ecosystem, especially during high-intent windows like Halloween.
Source: What’s on Netflix
