Syeda Irtizaali, Netflix's new Director of Unscripted Series for the UK, told an industry audience this week that the streamer plans to commission a large volume of original unscripted content, describing her ambitions with unusual candor.
Speaking at Deadline's Reality TV Summit UK, Irtizaali said of her plans for the slate: "We want shitloads of stuff." She followed that by adding, "What's brilliant about Netflix is there are no boundaries, so if it's a good idea we will make. If I believe it's going to bring a big audience then we will make it."
Irtizaali joined Netflix from the BBC earlier this year. She is best known at the BBC as the commissioner behind the UK version of The Traitors, one of the most-watched reality series of the past decade. At the summit, she described a busy first three months at the streamer. "We've been very busy in three months [I've been here]. There is some really, big, exciting and audacious stuff coming – but I want more," she said.
Her comments arrive at a difficult time for UK unscripted production. While shows like The Traitors have broken through on a massive scale, many smaller production companies have struggled as the overall volume of commissions from broadcasters and streamers has declined. Irtizaali acknowledged the tension in the market directly. "It is the best of times and the worst of times for unscripted and television at large," she said. "The huge volume of content in the squeezed middle no longer exists. It's now either really big or for fandom at the other end, but the opportunity is really great. There's such a desire to unscripted shows on television."
Despite the competitive climate, Irtizaali said she intends to keep an open door for producers. She quipped that even if a pitch does not land a commission, she will still take the meeting.
Irtizaali also addressed welfare concerns that had been raised publicly about Netflix's reality dating series Love is Blind, following a Deadline report in which two contestants shared concerns about their treatment on the show. "In that particular incidence, we feel confident that when issues where flagged, the right protocols were followed and everything was followed exactly as it should be," she said. More broadly, she stated that duty of care standards must continue to evolve. "The world is changing really quickly, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't evolve. You have to keep adapting. Duty of care and welfare protocols don't just stay the same."
Also at the Reality TV Summit UK, the creator of Non Player Combat, described as the world's first 100% AI-generated reality series, teased that negotiations are underway with prominent American reality television figures for the show's second season. Tom Paton, who runs AiMation Studios, told the summit that people "known for spearheading the reality space" are in talks, though he declined to name anyone specifically.
Non Player Combat airs on YouTube and the AiMation streaming platform. The show features six AI-generated contestants who hunt each other to the death. Paton described it as a cross between The Hunger Games, Fortnite, and Traitors. He said one goal for Season 2 is to make the format feel closer to a live experience. "One of the real goals for Season 2 is to make it feel more like Big Brother, where what you are watching is what happened yesterday. The episodes come in real time off the back of a simulation," he said.
AiMation has previously said it has received interest in the format from global broadcasters. Separately, Matt Campion of Spirit Studios, whose company used AI to recreate the world of Ed Gein for a true crime project, said American networks remain cautious about funding AI content before it reaches the screen. "Because of this idea of truth, especially in true crime, they are averse to putting money in at pre-sell stage," Campion said, though he noted that resistance does not extend to buying finished products.
Also on the AI panel was Katrien Grobler, who runs Twinnin, an app that clones an actor's likeness for use by studios or brands. Grobler said she believes 99% of content will be AI-generated by 2030. She named Matthew McConaughey as her ideal partner for the platform, noting that he recently trademarked his image and voice. "He is open to AI and is a good dude," she said.
