Sports documentaries are the new binge-watch genre, survey says
Sports documentaries are the new binge-watch genre - with one in five fans admitting they’re now 'go-to' Saturday night viewing.<br /><br />A poll of 2,000 adults found fans have enjoyed an average of 10 each - with some having clocked more than 30.<br /><br />‘Beckham’, ‘Senna’ and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ were named the most popular of all time, along with Pele and Alex Higgins: The People’s Champion.<br /><br />It also emerged 60 per cent of those who aren’t sport fans themselves really enjoy watching the shows.<br /><br />While 21 per cent watch more sport documentaries now than they have in the last five years.<br /><br />The research was commissioned to celebrate the launch of Betfair’s new mini-documentary Serial Winners (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgodpkr1qQE), which looks at the career of star jockey Rachael Blackmore, who won The Grand National in 2021 and the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup the following year.<br /><br />A spokesperson for Betfair said: “It seems we’ve never had such great access to our sporting heroes.<br /><br />“In decades gone by, athletes were mysterious and often otherworldly, but now we can really get a look into what drives them with these high-quality documentaries, which is why we are so excited to give fans a glimpse of Rachael Blackmore’s world.”<br /><br />The top reasons for enjoying sporting documentaries are the behind the scenes access, and learning about athletes’ struggles and challenges (both 38 per cent).<br /><br />A third find them inspiring, and 28 per cent enjoy a look at exactly what goes into being a true winner.<br /><br />For 25 per cent, seeing a ‘time capsule’ of what life was like in the past, such as The Last Dance’s picture of the USA in the early 1990s, is really enjoyable.<br /><br />It also emerged 14 per cent have even started following a sport they weren’t previously interested in after watching a documentary about it.<br /><br />While 36 per cent have also tuned into a show about a sport they didn’t really have any interest in, according to the OnePoll.com figures.<br /><br />And 16 per cent even went as far as to say they prefer watching sporting documentaries to live sports now.<br /><br />The study also found 28 per cent would like to see a documentary made about horse racing.<br /><br />The Rachael Blackmore documentary will be unveiled at ‘The World’s First Movie Premiere at a Racecourse’ at Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock, Merseyside.<br /><br />Betfair’s spokesperson added: “Horse racing is a sport with a rich history, fascinating characters and a very interesting future, so it’s great territory for documentary film makers.<br /><br />“It’s great to see there’s an appetite for sporting films, and it seems to be growing.”<br /><br />THE BEST SPORTING DOCUMENTARIES EVER:<br /><br />1. Beckham (Football)<br />2. Senna (Formula One)<br />3. Welcome to Wrexham (Football)<br />4. Pele (Football)<br />5. Alex Higgins: The People’s Champion (Snooker)<br />6. Gazza (Football)<br />7. Drive to Survive (Formula One)<br />8. Diego Maradona (Football)<br />9. Break Point (Tennis)<br />10. Stop at Nothing: Lance Armstrong (Cycling)<br />11. Sunderland Till I Die (Football)<br />12. All or Nothing - Man City (Football)<br />13. The Test – Australian Cricket Documentary (Cricket)<br />14. The Last Dance (Basketball)<br />15. All or Nothing – Spurs (Football)<br />16. The Impossible Job (Football)<br />17. Full Swing (Golf)<br />18. Cheer (Cheerleading)<br />19. All or Nothing - Juventus (Football)<br />20. Icarus (Cycling)
