The Surprising Content Driving Netflix Views
By Movieguide® Contributor
While Netflix continues to avoid adding live sports to its lineup, sports remain a crucial part of its library through sport docuseries, a genre that continues to generate significant revenue for the streamer.
In 2016, Netflix released its first sports docuseries, LAST CHANCE U, which follows athletes aspiring to break into the spotlight by attending prep schools that allow them to focus on their sport. The show was a resounding success and inspired numerous sport docuseries which have become a staple on the streamer. It also follows the typical format of Netflix’s docuseries which highlight a sport, or part of the sporting world, that is not typically known by the general audience.
The most popular series, DRIVE TO SURVIVE, is a great example of this, as it has helped bring F1 racing to the U.S. by providing a fun, entertaining entry point into the sport, allowing viewers to get to know the personalities of F1, even if they have no knowledge about racing. The series also serves the dedicated F1 audience by peeling back the curtain and helping them learn more about the sport while seeing the lives their favorite racers outside of the track. Numerous docuseries have since followed that highlight more niche sports such as golf, tennis, cheer and basketball.
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Netflix has also introduced series which highlight superstars, rather than an entire league, such as THE LAST DANCE, which explored Michael Jordan’s legendary run with the Chicago Bulls, or QUARTERBACK, which follows Patrick Mahomes through a season in the NFL.
While sport docuseries account for only 0.7% of Netflix’s library, they generate 1% of the streamer’s total revenue, on average, with DRIVE TO SURVIVE alone bringing in roughly $290 million since 2020, per The Wrap.
This success has not gone unnoticed by Netflix’s competitors, though the success of the docuseries has been difficult to replicate. Apple TV+ especially has placed a major emphasis on creating sport docuseries, with 4.6% of its catalog now being that genre. However, only 2% of its revenue comes from that portion of its library, revealing that it is an investment that has not yet paid off. Furthermore, none of the docuseries have found mainstream success in the same way a show like DRIVE TO SURVIVE has.
Part of the problem with other streamers may come from the fact that they do offer live sports, meaning sports fans may focus their watchtime on sporting events rather than shows about sports. This may be an area where Netflix actually has an advantage because it does not offer live sporting events on a regular basis. While Netflix continues to state it will not add live sports to its lineup, it appears to be less and less likely that will remain the case for long.
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