From Michael Jordan to Max Verstappen – Do Not Underestimate the Netflix Effect
By Mark Cooper (Sports Editor)
When you think of your favourite television programme, there is a strong possibility you share that choice with millions of others. Whether it be Bridgerton, The Crown, Breaking Bad or Sex Education, there is a fascinating reason why so many people share an interest in these shows, and it all has to do with what the most of us have access to as a society. As a society we generally tend to converge on certain ways of thinking, behaviours or even styles of clothing. While the specific trends may change over time, we generally move as one unit in our decision making. This convergence also extends to the media we consume. With the rise of media platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Max, and the wide variety of choice they offer consumers, it is remarkable that certain programmes will always draw in the vast majority of viewership.
This mass exposure is essentially part and parcel of Netflix, due to its enormous subscriber base, and the wide reach the platform has across the world. The one area in which this ‘Convergence Effect’ has greatly changed the face of society is in the world of sport. Documentaries such as ‘Drive to Survive’, ‘The Last Dance’ and ‘Cheer’ have garnered enormous traction following their release on Netflix. These programmes, often with unique behind-the-scenes access, truly bring the audience along with the respective team or athlete on their sporting journey. Many industry experts such as October Films’ creative director Matt Robins, say that companies such as Netflix have ‘raised the bar in documentary storytelling’. It is perhaps this raise in documentary standards that has resulted in what might be referred to as “The Netflix Effect”. This effect has been described by Forbes as when “a new series catapults an unknown actor to fame - overnight - a result of millions of people binge watching a show.” However, more recently we have seen the same result not for an actor, but for an entire sporting organisation.
Take for example; Drive to Survive. This behind-the-scenes look at the motorsport world follows the successes and failures of individual teams and drivers within the sport of Formula One. The documentary series first aired in 2019, and covered the previous year’s World Championship campaign, featuring teams such as Red Bull, Renault, Williams and Force India. Drivers such as Daniel Riccardo, Max Verstappen and Romain Grosjean feature heavily, becoming either fan favourites or pantomime villains. However, this aspect of the documentary is not unique. It is when the cameras follow team managers and CEOs around the paddock before and after races, and even capture family dinners and sponsorship meetings that audiences are truly brought into the world of Formula One. The power of the ‘fly on the wall’ aspect of the ten-part series cannot be understated, and that is truly what cultivates the societal impacts outside of the small screen.
Therefore, it is no surprise that ‘Drive to Survive’ has not only exposed many viewers to the sport of Formula One, but has cultivated an incredible boost for the economic viability of the sport. ESPN took over the broadcast rights to Formula One in 2018, and following the first season, average viewership for a race was in the region of 550,000. However, following the release of season three of Drive to Survive, 2021 average viewing figures were touching one million. An interesting addition to this boost was that the viewers of the sport following the release of the documentary series were far from casual fans, and in fact became extremely knowledgeable in the history of the sport, the mechanics of the cars and the dynamics of race strategy. Matt Gallagher of the motorsport website WTF1 explained that what we are seeing is “a massive new wave of fans who are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and full of ideas”. With massively increased crowds at every race in the 2021/22 season, there is no doubt that the ‘Drive to Survive’ series has been an unprecedented success not only for Netflix, but for Liberty Media (The owners of Formula One).
It is important to state before going any further that the concept of a sports documentary is of course not unique to Netflix. A plethora of successful sports documentaries have been produced down through the years, with ESPN’s ‘30 for 30’ pioneering the modern sports documentary across all sports, and the revolutionary ‘Hard Knocks’ American Football series offering some of the first true all-access to the inner-workings of a professional athlete. However, the difference with modern Netflix sports documentaries as previously mentioned is an indescribable production value which every other platform is desperately trying to chase. A producer for one prominent US broadcaster was reported as saying in a board meeting that they want their documentary series to “feel Netflixy”. And one would argue that this intangible feeling which viewers experience is the ultimate goal of everyone in the chasing pack of media production. One example where this Netflix aura came to real prominence was in the production of ‘The Last Dance’.
The documentary series chronicled the incredibly successful career of Michael Jordan, legendary Chicago Bulls basketball player. The show resonated with audiences to such an extent that the individual brands of Michael Jordan, Nike, The Chicago Bulls, The NBA, Netflix and ESPN (who co-produced the show) all skyrocketed following the release of the show. The series jumped back and forth between various stages of Jordan’s career, with Jordan sitting in the armchair of a lavish mansion, smoking a cigar and drinking what appeared to be many, many glasses of whiskey. It was the direct access to Michael Jordan, and the ability of filmmakers to ask the right questions which seduced audiences. Seeing such a legend break down when confronted on the way in which he treated his teammates was truly harrowing for viewers. However, it was not the questions asked by the crew, or the teammates interviewed, or the rivals who paid their respects which captivated those who watched in their tens of millions. There was something in the way the production was compiled which truly captured the imagination, something truly difficult to describe.
Access to ESPN’s incredible bank of game footage from the 80’s and 90’s certainly gave the documentary serious bite, but ESPN couldn’t have made such a documentary with their footage alone. Likewise, the behind-the-scenes footage from an unreleased 1997 production by NBA Entertainment added enormously to the storytelling as a whole, but couldn’t stand alone as a masterpiece. It is only when Jason Hehir and his production team brought every element together in harmony that the show truly became a once in a generation piece of media. And with the show a true work of art, it was Netflix’s massive reach (helped by a certain pandemic ensuring everyone was stuck at home) that truly catapulted ‘The Last Dance’ and by association Michael Jordan and the NBA to a new level of widespread attention.
Last Chance U, a Netflix exclusive production, first documented the American Football team of East Mississippi Community College before branching into college Basketball in recent seasons. This series was the first to expose high-level college sports to a worldwide audience, and massively boosted the profiles of the schools featured. In fact, many schools subsequently applied to Netflix directly to have their season filmed, such is the financial boost such a production can bring to junior colleges with low budgets.
Likewise, the 2020 production of ‘Cheer’ has brought the world of collegiate cheerleading into the mainstream. The six-part series follows the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team from Corsicana, Texas, under coach Monica Aldama, as they prepare to compete in the National Cheerleading Championship in Daytona, Florida. The success of the series (with reports of an incoming third season and viewership for the national championships at their highest level ever), has proven that Netflix can take a sport and create a market around it. This perhaps is the most impressive aspect of their rise to documentary supremacy: build it and they will come.
Ultimately, it is yet to be seen if Netflix can maintain its position to the forefront of sports documentary production. Amazon prime with their All or Nothing series seeks to take a slice of the pie, and HBO Max is hot on their heels with Tiger Woods and Muhammad Ali in their ranks. One looks to the controversial ‘Liv Golf’ tour and the desire to funnel Saudi Arabian money into sport to rid the world’s memory of their human rights atrocities. The worry exists that if the price is right, a production company may attempt to legitimise themselves, the Tour, and by extension the Saudi regime by documenting and publicising the tour, perhaps even attempting to humanise the so-called sponsors of the project. We have seen how sports documentaries are a powerful means to change public perception of those involved, but with great power comes great responsibility.