Thursday’s premiere of Amazon Prime’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) eagerly awaitedreality series Beast Games highlighted YouTube megastar MrBeast. However, concerns among consumer advocates were raised by the event, which consisted of 1,000 candidates fighting for $5 million and a sweepstakes cooperation with fintech business MoneyLion. Viewers are invited to scan a QR code during the series to have a chance to win $4.2 million. Run by MoneyLion, the sweepstakes also highlight the financial instruments of the business, like cash advancesmeant to help consumers between paychecks.
Critics, however, compare these developments to payday loans and caution that related costs could cause earnings-depleting cycles of borrowing. For MrBeast, whose actual name is Jimmy Donaldson, the show endswhat’s been a difficult year. He disputed claims about workplace conditions, risky stunts, and controversial past content even while his YouTube channel attracted record subscriber counts. Amazon Prime’s relationship with MrBeast exemplifies its approach to draw younger viewers and edge further out in the streaming wars, but the show’s fintech tie-in has spurred a more general discussion on the moral questions raised by such partnerships.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
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