VICE TV’s ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ franchise expands with new shows focused on football and ’90s culture

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VICE TV’S “DARK SIDE” FRANCHISE EXPANDS WITH TWO NEW DOCUSERIES FOCUSING ON FOOTBALL AND ’90s CULTURE  

“Dark Side of the Football” and “Dark Side of the ’90s” are in production and will debut on VICE TV in 2021

DECEMBER 8, 2020 – BROOKLYN, NY – VICE TV announces it is expanding its record-breaking docuseries Dark Side of the Ring into a franchise with two new series: Dark Side of the Football and Dark Side of the ’90s. Building on the meteoric success of Dark Side of the Ring, VICE TV’s highest-rated show, which was recently renewed for a third season, the two new Dark Side spinoffs are currently in production and will debut in 2021.

“We are thrilled to expand the Dark Side franchise and take a harder look at the untold stories of two our our favorite cultural touchstones: football and ’90s nostalgia. Both topics are rich with controversial characters, subjects, and events that are ripe for investigation,” said Morgan Hertzan, Executive Vice President and General Manager, VICE Television. “Dark Side of the Ring beautifully lifts the veil on the most gripping stories in wrestling, and I cannot wait for audiences to see what we uncover in our next iterations.”

Dark Side of the Football shines a light on stories that live in the shadows of America’s favorite sport. Gripping and compelling tales about the sometimes flawed men behind the face masks; the coaches, teams, and leagues who control their fates; and the untold story behind bizarre and tragic off-the-field events — facts that have been hidden to shield fans from discovering unsettling truths about the game they love. All told from interviews with the people who were there and know what really happened. The series is produced by 44 Blue Productions for VICE TV.

Dark Side of the ’90s will reveal the soul of the decade through its most captivating pop-culture moments, trends and personalities, through interviews with people who studied the time period. Each episode will dissect the nostalgia, uncovering the surprising dark truths underlying the glitz, the glamour and the headlines. The series is produced by Railsplitter Pictures and Insight Productions for VICE TV.

Earlier this year Dark Side of the Ring became the highest-rated show on VICE TV.  Since VICE TV launched the show in April 2019, the series has entertained wrestling fans and newcomers to the sport with the biggest stories from the last 40 years, giving viewers unprecedented access to wrestling insiders and revealing the brutal truths and often tragic consequences of lives in the squared circle. Viewership has grown consistently throughout its first two seasons. Season 2 crushed all previous L3 viewership records for VICE TV, finishing with a growth of 73% among P18-49 viewers and 52% among P2+ viewers vs. the breakout first season. Across the series, Dark Side of the Ring is now VICE TV’s highest-performing series overall, beating out the prior best overall series by +77% with P18-49 viewers and 108% with P2+ viewers.

ABOUT VICE TV

VICE TV is the Emmy®-winning international television network from VICE Media Group. Since its inception in 2016, the channel has ushered new audiences to cable with its compelling and provocative programming. Boldly redefining news and current affairs, VICE TV produces hundreds of hours of original content for over 160 million homes worldwide. Built around a mission to courageously explore the things that make us uncomfortable, drive curiosity, and awaken our sense of wonder, VICE TV showcases the best in informative and entertaining original series, documentaries and movies.

ABOUT VICE MEDIA GROUP

VICE Media Group is the world’s largest independent youth media company.  Launched in 1994, VICE has offices in 35 cities across the globe with a focus on five key businesses: VICE.com, an award-winning international network of digital content; VICE STUDIOS, a feature film and television production studio; VICE TV, an Emmy-winning international television network; a Peabody award-winning NEWS division with the most Emmy-awarded nightly news broadcast; and VIRTUE, a global, full-service creative agency with 25 offices around the world.  VICE Media Group’s portfolio includes Refinery29, the leading global media and entertainment company focused on women;  PULSE Films, a London-based next-generation production studio with outposts in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Berlin;  i-D, a global digital and bimonthly magazine defining fashion and contemporary culture; and Garage, a digital platform and biannual publication converging the worlds of art and design.