Sports viewing is no longer about the event itself, there is a lot more to it. Jay Baruchel famously said, “I think sports makes for good drama because it has all the same ingredients as anything worth reading or listening to or watching. Conflict, desire, heartbreak – it is all there.”
Sports platforms have realised that there is so much more to do for content. The game, match and race of the event are beginning. What about the run-up to the event? What happens behind the scenes? What about the coaches, preparations, gym sessions, meal plans, and the oh-so-juicy politics that for years were hidden behind the curtain? All of this is changing.
First, we saw the Netflix series – Drive to Survive. It has been a massive success on Netflix. The show brought a bunch of new viewers to the sport of racing by taking the viewers behind the scenes. Drivers are no longer nameless faces behind helmets, team principals have emerged from deep within the team’s pit garage to be recognisable stars and the sport itself has been propelled into the public consciousness.
The impact has been far-reaching. Formula 1 is no longer a sport for the diehard fan; around 108.7 million viewers tuned into the 2021 Abu Dhabi finale and the ‘Drive to Survive’ influence on that cannot be understated.
In the US, traditionally not a strong F1 market, estimations peg that there are now nearly 80% more F1 fans than there were four years ago. This has resulted in other sports following suit. There is Breakpoint (about tennis) and Full Swing (about golf) all hoping to follow the specific model that ‘Drive to Survive’ created.
The UFC has a show called Embedded where they follow fighters in the week leading up to the fight, tracking their meals, training, family and press commitments, and giving fight fans a sneak peek behind-the-scenes. These episodes attract millions of viewers on YouTube and make for great entertainment and content. The end game, of course, is to have more viewers tune in on the main event on the weekend.
Also fascinating is how sponsors that might not be able to get access to the main event due to costs, now find ways to integrate themselves into this content.
As advertisers, we love to see successful brand extensions and we also love to see audiences taken on a journey.
Long may this last!
Chris Botha is the managing director of Park Advertising, the holding company that owns The MediaShop and Meta Media.
