Top flight snubs Netflix series

The Premier League have rejected Netflix’s offer to make a Drive to Survive- style series following all 20 clubs.

The decision to turn down the offer was confirmed at a shareholders’ meeting in London yesterday, with concerns about the amount of access to players and staff Netflix would demand, as well as the logistical challenges of filming all 20 clubs.

The decision will be welcomed by the Premier League’s live rights holders Sky Sports and BT Sport, who were both unhappy at the prospect of losing valuable time with players and managers to a commercial rival, given that they pay a combined £1.6billion a year in rights fees. Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal have all made documentaries with Amazon Prime recently, and Newcastle are in the process of filming one this season.

The proposal for a Premier League- wide production was considered, with some clubs arguing that increasing the amount of global attention on the league could help drive up the value of international TV rights, but it will not be pursued.

Netflix have made a series of critically acclaimed and popular sports documentaries in recent years, but have yet to do a deal with a Premier League club. The streaming giant are in the process of completing a documentary on the Six Nations rugby, which was filmed during this season’s championship and will be released later this year.

But that was plagued by rows over access, with both england and Wales choosing to keep the cameras at arm’s length.

Formula 1: Drive To Survive has run for five seasons since 2018 and has been a huge hit for Netflix. It has also been credited with generating a surge of interest in the sport from new fans.

Netflix has also recently released the first seasons of Break Point and Full Swing, which follow the tennis and golf tours respectively.