Premier League clubs make $27m call on Drive To Survive-style documentary deal

The Premier League has turned down a $AUD27.6 million deal for a documentary similar to the highly successful Drive To Survive Formula One series.

The proposed three-season deal, which would net clubs a reported $9.2m per season, was put to the Premier League clubs by streaming powerhouse Netflix.

Six to eight Premier League clubs would have been involved in the show with full behind-the-scenes access.

However, all 20 clubs in the English top flight rejected Netflix’s offer at a shareholders meeting in London.

According to The Times, the stance of Premier League clubs may have been slightly different had a significantly larger amount of money been put on the table by Netflix.

Netflix has also never made a play for live rights to the Premier League in either English or overseas markets.

However, Netflix has previously dipped its toe into the football documentary waters with Sunderland Till I Die being its most notable, as fans were brought on the journey of the long-suffering club in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.

Sports documentaries in the mould of fly-on-the-wall access have been a tremendous hit in recent years, with Drive To Survive leading the way and growing F1’s fanbase exponentially.

There have also been a number of football documentaries on Premier League clubs from Amazon Prime in the form of their All Or Nothing series.

Manchester City was the first club to receive the treatment, with Tottenham Hotspur and then Arsenal also featuring.

Amazon are yet to announce which Premier League team will be the next to feature on All Or Nothing, but according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, it will be the cashed-up Newcastle United.