Banijay Entertainment's All3Media division faced a years-long slog to sell young adult content that now dominates streaming platforms worldwide. Steve Matthews, producer of the Culpables trilogy through Pokeepsie, the production company under Banijay's umbrella, revealed the brutal timeline for breaking YA before the genre exploded into cultural dominance.
The Culpables films arrived at Prime Video as streaming juggernauts. Three installments—Culpa Mia, Culpa Tuya, and Culpa Nuestra—built an audience that treats the franchise with the devotion once reserved for The Hunger Games or Divergent theatrical releases. Yet Matthews disclosed that acquiring these projects required persistence many would have abandoned. The YA marketplace looked fundamentally different even three years ago.
This timing reveals a persistent truth about entertainment development. Trends consolidate only after early adopters prove demand. Studios chase hits backward, greenlighting dozens of YA properties only after one breaks through. Netflix's Stranger Things, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, and Disney Plus's Percy Jackson and the Olympians all benefited from pre-established momentum. The Culpables films created their own runway.
Banijay's architecture matters here. The London-based production giant owns All3Media, a banner spanning production companies internationally. Pokeepsie operates within that ecosystem, handling scripted development and production across multiple territories. All3Media itself functions as Banijay's creative hub for British and international content. The Culpables success validates Banijay's investment in YA infrastructure before the category became premium real estate.
Matthews' commentary lands as the streaming wars intensify. Prime Video aggressively builds franchises from proven IP and emerging creators. The platform greenlit Culpables sequels without hesitation once viewership demonstrated commercial viability. That decisiveness contrasts sharply with the gatekeeping Matthews encountered during development. Streaming platforms now bid competitively for YA content targeting Gen Z and millennial audiences, categories that advertisers and subscribers both pursue relentlessly.
The producer's narrative also underscores Banijay's consolidation strategy. The Culpables triumph exemplifies how global production companies with multiple production arms can absorb risk across borders. If one territory's broadcaster passes, another market may greenlight the project. Pokeepsie's eventual success with Prime Video illustrates this diversification advantage. Independent producers lack this financial buffer.
YA streaming dominance reflects audience demographics. Gen Z watches shows differently than previous generations. Bingeability, romantic tension, and serialized storytelling matter more than film-style pacing or theatrical releases. The Culpables trilogy delivers exactly that formula. Romance-driven narratives with production values that don't skimp on cinematography or casting build devoted communities. TikTok fuels organic discovery when content hits right. The Culpables proved this formula works.
Matthews' experience also reflects how production companies now operate. Banijay funds development across dozens of projects, expecting most to fail commercially. The Culpables success subsidizes riskier bets elsewhere. All3Media's merger integration into Banijay's larger structure accelerates that risk distribution. Production companies now function like venture capital firms, seeding multiple bets and scaling winners aggressively.
The YA marketplace today looks nothing like 2020. Studios greenlight YA properties reflexively. Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus all hunt for the next Culpables. Matthews' story reminds industry players that patience and persistence separate early visionaries from consensus followers. The producer saw young adult potential when others didn't. Prime Video validated that instinct. Now the streaming wars treat YA as a cornerstone category.