Solange Omon was announced as Victoria’s Secret’s newest Angel during the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Sunday, after winning the brand’s six-part YouTube reality competition, Angels Among Us . The victory secured her a modeling contract with IMG Models. Andreína Martínez Fournier and Tatyana Tinsley were the competition’s other two finalists.

Brands invest in original episodic entertainment on YouTube to reach digital audiences and create opportunities for audience participation. Victoria’s Secret connects its reality competition, which has generated approximately 17.8 million YouTube views, with public casting calls, theatrical screenings and ticket giveaways to engage existing fans and attract new audiences to its annual Fashion Show.

Victoria’s Secret announced the docuseries in an August statement . Produced by Boardwalk Pictures and directed by Nadia Hallgren , the production follows ten finalists chosen through a nationwide search. More than 100,000 people began the application process, with approximately 900 invited to audition in four U.S. cities, Elizabeth Preis , chief marketing and customer officer of Victoria’s Secret & Co., told me in a phone interview.

VS Angels Gigi Hadid , Alex Consani , Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser appear in the series alongside Adam Selman , the brand’s executive creative director, offering guidance to the aspiring models.

Audience behavior influenced the series’ distribution and storytelling. The 2025 Fashion Show drew more than 60 million viewers, with YouTube accounting for a substantial share, according to Preis. That viewership helped inform the decision to release the competition on the platform. Interest in behind-the-scenes footage on social media further supported the investment in longer-form storytelling.

Angels Among Us explores the finalists’ experiences with body image, eating disorders and family struggles, as well as the friendships formed during the competition. Preis said their stories warranted “a much more complex storytelling than just a short 30-second or one-minute short,” making an episodic format better suited to their personal journeys.

When Preis joined Victoria’s Secret in May 2025, the company had a loyal customer base but struggled to attract new shoppers. “We definitely pivoted our marketing efforts to be more digital centric, social centric,” she said, citing TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as channels for reaching younger consumers.

Victoria’s Secret reported $1.61 billion in net sales for the second quarter of 2026, up 10% year over year, with comparable sales rising 9%. The company recorded its fourth consecutive quarter of customer growth. Preis said younger customer segments outpaced the broader customer base.

Fan viewing habits influenced the scheduling of this year’s Fashion Show. Preis said audiences watched the 2025 event with friends, prompting Victoria’s Secret to move the production from Wednesday to Sunday. “We wanted to make sure that more people could participate,” she said, describing it as “an evening to share together.”

Victoria’s Secret offered fans chances to win runway seats, hosted live screenings with AMC Theatres in ten U.S. cities and made the Fashion Show available for free on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Preis said thousands entered the ticket giveaway, with hundreds of fans invited in person. These opportunities expanded access to the live event, while the reality series gave viewers a contestant to follow from auditions to the final reveal.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debuted in 1995 and became a major televised spectacle, combining runway fashion with performances by some of music’s biggest artists. The show returned in 2024 after a five-year hiatus. “There’s not another show like it. It is one of a kind,” Preis said, citing its mix of fashion, music and brand fandom.

This year’s Fashion Show featured an all-women musical lineup, with performances by Megan Thee Stallion , Tate McRae , Megan Moroney and KATSEYE .

While more brands explore original entertainment, Victoria’s Secret has produced Fashion Shows for decades. Preis said entertainment “is part of its DNA.” Angels Among Us adds a reality competition to that history, with the winner earning a place in the live production.

Similar investments across entertainment and consumer brands illustrate the range of approaches in 2026. Formula 1 returned to YouTube with Season 2 of Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Passenger Princess , produced in collaboration with her creative studio, Dimz Inc. Dr. Squatch launched a $1 million fan competition with creator IShowSpeed, while Popsicle’s Flavor Feud brought together entertainment personalities for a creator-led campaign.

Xfinity is following its Everyday Scaries with Frank comedy series with in-person Halloween experiences in Philadelphia and Chicago. Love Island USA screened its Casa Amor episode in theaters nationwide, giving fans a chance to watch together. The projects span episodic programming, consumer competitions and communal viewing, with different opportunities for audiences to engage.

Victoria’s Secret will now assess what it learned from Angels Among Us . Preis said millions tuned in throughout the series’ release. “We’re going to learn from it. We’re going to see what that leads us next,” she said.

For brands investing in original entertainment, the takeaway is the importance of listening to audiences and adapting accordingly. Victoria’s Secret used viewer habits to guide its programming, distribution and live events, showing how consumer behavior can influence decisions both on and off screen.