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.

A poll of 2,000 adults found fans have enjoyed an average of 10 each - with some having clocked more than 30.

‘Beckham’, ‘Senna’ and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ were named the most popular of all time, along with Pele and Alex Higgins: The People’s Champion.

It also emerged 60 per cent of those who aren’t sport fans themselves really enjoy watching the shows.

While 21 per cent watch more sport documentaries now than they have in the last five years.

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.

A spokesperson for Betfair said: “It seems we’ve never had such great access to our sporting heroes.

“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.”

The top reasons for enjoying sporting documentaries are the behind the scenes access, and learning about athletes’ struggles and challenges (both 38 per cent).

A third find them inspiring, and 28 per cent enjoy a look at exactly what goes into being a true winner.

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.

It also emerged 14 per cent have even started following a sport they weren’t previously interested in after watching a documentary about it.

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.

And 16 per cent even went as far as to say they prefer watching sporting documentaries to live sports now.

The study also found 28 per cent would like to see a documentary made about horse racing.

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.

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.

“It’s great to see there’s an appetite for sporting films, and it seems to be growing.”

THE BEST SPORTING DOCUMENTARIES EVER:

1.    Beckham (Football)
2.    Senna (Formula One)
3.    Welcome to Wrexham (Football)
4.    Pele (Football)
5.    Alex Higgins: The People’s Champion (Snooker)
6.    Gazza (Football)
7.    Drive to Survive (Formula One)
8.    Diego Maradona (Football)
9.    Break Point (Tennis)
10.   Stop at Nothing: Lance Armstrong (Cycling)
11.   Sunderland Till I Die (Football)
12.   All or Nothing - Man City (Football)
13.   The Test – Australian Cricket Documentary (Cricket)
14.   The Last Dance (Basketball)
15.   All or Nothing – Spurs (Football)
16.   The Impossible Job (Football)
17.   Full Swing (Golf)
18.   Cheer (Cheerleading)
19.   All or Nothing - Juventus (Football)
20.   Icarus (Cycling)