Sam and Colby are taking their annual Halloween event to Netflix. The pair of paranormal investigators, who first gained attention on Vine, have developed a large following through their investigations of abandoned buildings, ghost towns, and similar eerie locations. Their yearly custom, known as Hell Week, usually shows up a few days before Halloween, with several full-length documentaries released at once, ones that frequently pull in tens of millions of YouTube views.
Now those documentaries will also land on Netflix starting in 2026. The deal is part of a broader push by Netflix to compete with YouTube for creator content. CEO Ted Sarandos’ team has been striking deals with top creators and establishing itself as a legitimate alternative to YouTube. Sam and Colby’s Netflix presence will include “a collection of their spooky episodes” that will drop at the start of October.
From Vine to YouTube’s Biggest Sponsored Videos
Colby Brock and Sam Goldbach initially built a following through Vine, where their early attempts at paranormal exploration drew notice from a steadily increasing audience. The two have gone on to become YouTube’s leading investigators of deserted structures, ghost towns, and other eerie places.
The measure of their success rests in figures. Snazzy original content entered the mix by 2019, and in 2022, Sam and Colby released seven documentaries in 14 days. A year after that, Cinemark arrived as a theatrical partner for Hell Week. An initial run of movie screenings in 2023 then grew into an extended run in 2024, where roughly 350 theaters hosted Sam and Colby fans during a spooktacular October.
Beyond the Halloween season, Sam and Colby generate some of the largest sponsored videos on YouTube. Their track record makes Netflix’s interest in the pair less surprising than it would otherwise be.
The Deal Keeps Both Platforms Happy
Netflix typically hasn’t sought exclusivity with its creator deals, and that’s the case here as well. In an Instagram post announcing the deal, Sam and Colby reassured their fans that “nothing else is changing” with regard to their distribution strategy. “You can still watch wherever you have been but NOW we get to post to Netflix too,” reads the post.
Sam and Colby are allowed to post on YouTube and put their content on Netflix at the same time. The arrangement does not require either platform to hold the sole right to their material. Viewers who have kept up with the pair on YouTube will not find themselves cut off from new episodes just because they are now appearing elsewhere.
The deal gives Netflix a well-known channel for its lineup. It also puts Sam and Colby’s work in front of a wider audience on a major streaming platform.
YouTube’s Response to Netflix Competition
Seven-figure compensation packages have been offered by YouTube to creators in an effort to discourage them from partnering with Netflix. The tactic was disclosed as a deliberate move to retain top talent inside the platform’s own ecosystem. Even so, since the disclosure, Netflix has brought YouTube favorites such as The Besties and ChuChu TV into its roster.
Sam and Colby are the latest creators who will share their videos across YouTube and Netflix. The question of whether Netflix can actually soak up a significant chunk of Hell Week traffic remains open. We’ll get a better sense of how the streamer’s spooky season strategy has fared once Netflix shares its viewership data for the second half of 2026.
“You can still watch wherever you have been but NOW we get to post to Netflix too.”
What the Deal Actually Means
The practical effect of the deal is straightforward. Starting in 2026, Sam and Colby’s spooky episodes will be available on Netflix at the start of October, alongside their ongoing YouTube uploads. Viewers who want to see new content won’t have to choose between platforms.
The arrangement mirrors a change in how creators build audiences online. Rather than posting directly to YouTube, the platform has become a place where content that once resided there alone now finds a home. Sam and Colby’s paranormal investigation channel is part of what makes up that shift, with their signature joining Netflix’s lineup.
Sam and Colby can try out their content on a fresh audience through this setup without locking themselves into one particular channel. The Instagram post’s promise that “nothing else is changing” shows the pair view the Netflix partnership as something that builds on what they already do rather than replacing it.
The Numbers Behind the Spectacle
Their record is remarkable. Sam and Colby put out seven documentaries in just 14 days back in 2022, a rate that would challenge any professional production company. That these films continue to draw tens of millions of YouTube views shows how strong their audience truly is.
Cinemark’s involvement in 2023 marked a significant milestone. A successful series of movie screenings led to an extended run in 2024, when approximately 350 theaters welcomed Sam and Colby fans during a spooktacular October. That kind of theatrical distribution underscores the scale of their operation.
That partnership expands the show’s audience into homes throughout the nation.
The Bottom Line
Sam and Colby are bringing their annual Halloween spectacle to Netflix in 2026. The deal is non-exclusive, and the duo’s promise to fans is that nothing changes about where they can watch. The content will appear on both platforms at the start of October, giving viewers the option to stream on Netflix or continue watching on YouTube.
Sam and Colby represent one of the names crossing over from YouTube into Netflix’s expanding lineup. The move is part of a larger shift where creators are spreading their content across several platforms. Netflix is now being seen as a home for content that used to exist only on YouTube.
It is still not clear whether Netflix can absorb a major portion of Hell Week’s audience. That question will be answered when Netflix releases its viewership numbers for the second half of 2026. For now, the arrangement merely shows that the streaming field keeps changing.
See the video the story is built around at Tubefilter.
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