Why Are Documentaries About Football Clubs Rising In Popularity?
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Historical documentaries have long attracted viewers due to their benefits, such as promoting critical thinking, and their use of archival footage. In particular, the sports genre has benefited immensely from the latter fact. Sports teams have access to primary footage and B-rolls that feature quality subjects: athletes who worked hard to improve their craft, move up the ranks, and achieve their dreams.
But even though sports documentaries have always been popular, we have seen a surge in them recently. Their rise in popularity is because society transitioned to a binge-watching culture.
Netflix kicked off this trend in 2018 when it produced a two-part series about Juventus’ 2017-2018 season, which was followed by the All or Nothing: Man City documentary on Amazon Prime Video that highlighted their record-breaking season. Then the acclaimed Sunderland ‘Til I Die series followed, which was supposed to show the club’s return to the Premier League. Instead, it left viewers watching back-to-back relegations, managerial changes, and the arrest of one of the first team players. The trend continued in 2019 when Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund had their own series released.
For fans, documentaries about football clubs allow them to relive key moments and learn more about their favourite players by seeing how they behave off the pitch. They feel personal as if these shows were made for them — which they were. Fans do not have to invest their time in an unknown fictional show: there is already a connection with these documentaries that is substantial enough to make them press play. Still, nothing beats watching live matches.
With documentaries, fans already know the results, but with upcoming matches and football on Tv today, fans can look at betting odds and track game statistics, as well as learn information about the opposition before the game starts. Live matches still have the unknown angle, whereas sports documentaries do not.
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The rise in these documentaries, largely produced by Amazon and Netflix, boils down to the fact that football clubs have begun to look at themselves as global entertainment brands rather than community-focused clubs. Clubs want to diversify their media content while still controlling it, so they are green-lighting these documentary series before entire seasons even start. They know that player performances are one thing, but there is still a commercial side to the business they have to attend to in order to generate revenue.
Football is full of emotions, and it is not always rainbows and butterflies. Documentaries like Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Amazon’s All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, which showcased the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino and the hiring of Jose Mourinho, demonstrate this. But sometimes it is as Man City’s documentary saw them win two of four contested trophies under Pep Guardiola.
From a business perspective, documentaries on football clubs are not going anywhere. The numbers prove that fans are interested. And since the sport isn’t going anywhere anytime soon either, it might be wise for other streaming services like CraveTV and football clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea to consider moving into this market.
