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Rugby embraces the age of the docuseries

Six takeaways from Six Nations: Full Contact

With the fly-on-the-wall concept proving more popular than ever, Adrian Krige – Senior Account Executive at Wasserman– considers why the Six Nations decided to join the trend.

From Ryan Reynolds in Wrexham to Lionel Messi in Miami, the All Blacks down under to Formula 1 on its global tour. We are in the age of the docuseries.

Across basketball, baseball, and college football, to cricket, cycling, golf, and tennis. League after league, and team after team, are opening their doors to broaden their appeal. It is a frenzy funded by the streaming giants. Amazon, Apple TV, Disney, Netflix, and Paramount, together forming a new frontline in the fight for the future consumer.

Nestled among this transformation of the branded content landscape is a new offering from Six Nations Rugby Limited, which have teamed up with the creators of the seismically successful ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ (DTS) series. Launched on the eve of this year’s tournament, ‘Six Nations: Full Contact’ takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the 2023 edition, in a bid to take the age-old offering into new-age homes.

As viewers begin to click play, here are six factors which would have encouraged the rights holder (Six Nations) and the broadcaster (Netflix) to take the leap into a cluttered but nascent market.

 

THE POTENTIAL UPSHOT

The Six Nations’ decision-makers would have looked at Formula 1 (F1), seen the numbers, and felt compelled to follow suit. A sport which was notoriously guarded under its former stewardship, welcomed new owners, opened its doors – created ‘DTS’– and transformed its fortunes. More than 280,000 viewers tuned in for week one of the debut series in 2019, a number which has doubled five seasons later. Of these viewers 34% are now fully fledged fans, while 75% of the sport’s under-45-year-old congregation attribute their conversion to ‘DTS.’ These fans don’t sit on their hands either – the sport’s social engagement climbed by 430% in this five-year window.

This is not a case study of one, it is part of a trend. The Tour de France’s ‘Unchained’ increased the sport’s viewership among 15-to-24-year-olds, as well as their overall female audience. While for the PGA Tour its‘ Full Swing ’docuseries encouraged 63% of its viewers to tune into a live event.

 

THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

When peering a little closer at the impact of ‘DTS’ on F1 it would have been the gains in the land of opportunity which really caught the eye. The show contributed to a 28% increase in U.S. ratings, supported the addition of races in Miami and Las Vegas, and contributed to a 9.6% growth in the total fanbase (44.9 up to 49.2 million).

With the U.S. hosting the Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033, it is an apt time for ‘Full Contact’ to make contact in the sport industry’s most valuable market.

 

WHY IS THAT A PENALTY?

Documentaries serve as educational tools, and sporting docuseries are no different. They are often tasked with demystifying the intricacies of the sport, or indeed the culture. In Disney’s ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ each sporting or cultural particularity is jovially translated into ‘English,’ ‘Welsh,’ and ‘American.’ While ‘DTS’ is credited with increasing understanding of F1 amongst its viewers by 30%.

Rugby is unquestionably a complicated game. Even the most ardent of fans can still be left scratching their heads from time-to-time. ‘Full Contact’ is perfectly placed to playfully educate not only new fans, but all viewers.

 

LARGE PROFILES FOR LARGE ATHLETES

In a sport shaped by humility, and won through equal effort, many athletes are large in stature, but few are large in profile. ‘Full Contact’ will have spotted an opportunity to buck this trend, and to begin to create some cross-sport superstars.

At the Australian Open in January neither Maria Sakkari nor Taylor Fritz progressed beyond the first week, yet both were the big winners on social media after being the featured players in the corresponding ‘Break Point’ episodes. Through ‘Full Contact’ the Six Nations holds the metaphorical pen and can start creating these stars by introducing character as well as catching.

 

SHIFTING STEREOTYPES

For the Tour de France its ‘Unchained’ series was an exercise in trust. Open the doors, empty the pockets, and dispel the doping tag. While for the PGA Tour its ‘Full Swing’ series was a chance to drop the ‘white male and stale’ stereotype by showing the full diverse range of personalities who now congregate at the top of the sport.

For ‘Full Contact’ the series can engender a more nuanced understanding of the athletes who play the sport, the adoring fans who follow them, and the kaleidoscope of sub-cultures which come together to form this historic tournament.

 

BROADEN THE BRANDS

For three seasons F1 has ratcheted sponsorship revenue by 11.4% (2021), 23.2% (2022), and 11.1% (2023). With new fans have come new brands, and now new budgets. Across this period, there has been a remarkable 150% surge in deal valuesworth$30 to $49.9 million.

Whilst the Six Nations is a commercial success, rugby union has been faced with significant commercial challenges post-pandemic – evidenced by several English domestic clubs falling into administration. Through ‘Full Contact’ the focus will be on thriving rather than surviving, taking F1’s lead in broadening first the audience and then the revenue.

– – –

There are risks of course. The level of investment is significant, and the marketplace is crowded. However, the risk of being left behind – or missing out – feels far greater. The paymasters’ expectations will need managing. Success should be measured within the context of the sport, rather than in comparison to some of the shinier and more established contemporaries. However, with a creator who knows intimately the recipe for success, and a story that is as yet untold, ‘Full Contact’ has every chance of taking the Six Nations, and perhaps even rugby as a sport, to new heights.

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