June 11 – Fly-on-the-wall documentaries charting the seasons (and generally struggles) of fallen giants battling to return to former glories makes popular television. English Championship club Leeds United look set to become the latest English club to feature in an Amazon documentary series.
Reports are that the internet giant has secured a deal for a fly-on-the-wall content documentary with Yorkshire media company the City Talking. The media company had been given behind-the-scenes access to the second-tier outfit’s 2018/19 season.
The series is expected to be released on Amazon Prime in the coming months and will focus on Leeds’ dramatic first season under their talismanic Argentinian manager Marcelo Bielsa, who guided the team to the brink of automatic promotion before eventually succumbing to Derby County in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.
Premier League champions Manchester City have already starred in an Amazon docuseries. Juventus from Italy, Boca Juniors from Argentina and Sunderland have featured in shows on rival streaming service Netflix.
The eight-part Sunderland documentary was the most recent to launch on Netflix, charting Sunderland’s 2017-18 campaign that saw them suffer a second consecutive relegation.
It seems that ‘grit’ sells for Netflix. A Fulwell73 press release said at launch: “In the era of multi-million dollar sponsorship deals and transfers, where the stakes have never been higher or the rivalries more fierce, this brand new Netflix original series sets at its heart the unfailing passion of this UK Northern town for its beloved football club.”
Other sports have branched out into behind-the-scenes documentaries, including the Formula One motorsport series and cricket documentaries about individual IPL franchises.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1732402812labto1732402812ofdlr1732402812owedi1732402812sni@o1732402812fni1732402812