The sports industry has taken notice to the power of bringing original programming and behind the scenes access to the fans. TV series and documentaries have been popping up throughout different sports industries such as UFC, Formula 1 Racing, football, and soccer in the Europe. They have helped build brand awareness and excitement surrounding the teams or sports involved.
Charlotte FC president, Nick Kelly, has recognized this as an opportunity for the new Major League Soccer expansion team to take advantage of. Charlotte FC will be partnering with MGM to bring a “Survivor”-style competition with the goal of increasing the teams recognition to the national and possibly international stage.
“You start watching some of these shows like ‘Top Chef’ that are reality-based — you may not even be the world’s biggest foodie, but you just like the competition aspect,” Kelly said in an interview with Morning Consult. “We hope that people like watching the competition, understanding the personalities, and they fall in love with XYZ player’s story. That will draw in a more casual viewer than a straight documentary.”
The Morning Consult ran a survey asking self-proclaimed sports fans how much non-live sports programming they watch and what kinds they enjoy the most. More on this study on the Morning Consult feature on Charlotte FC.
