Netflix has announced its third series in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee. It is headlined by Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and features other star athletes like Shericka Jackson and Noah Lyles. This is not Netflix’s first sports gig. They’ve made several successful documentaries with big names such as Connor McGregor and Neymar Jr., along with a two-part series on NCAA basketball. 

Given the popularity of Lyles, Jackson, and Richardson ahead of the Paris Games, it can be assumed that the series – titled Sprint – will likely surpass the views drawn in by the dedicated fan bases of UFC fighter Connor McGregor and football star Neymar Jr. Especially since it’s an Olympic year, Netflix will hope to ride the wave and garner a huge audience for this docu-series. 

Sha’Carri, Noah to grace Netflix with a new docu-series

Sha’Carri Richardson, along with other big names in US track and field, signed a deal with Netflix for the docu-series Sprint. Other than US athletes, the series will also feature track and field stars representing Jamaica, the UK, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Italy. Sprint is directed by the team of the 2019 Netflix docuseries ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ and produced by Box to Box Films. Netflix’s other sports documentaries have been quite successful. According to the 2023 year-end report, Connor McGregor’s Notorious garnered 1.9 million viewers in 2023. Additionally, Neymar’s The Perfect Chaos reached 5.1 million viewers. A series based on the basketball team at East Los Angeles College, Last Chance U: Basketball, was also seen by 12.9 million viewers. 

According to Netflix, Sprint will cover the full behind-the-scenes journey of the top athletes from the 2023 World Championships to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The first episode is set to be released right before the Paris Games start in August. It will likely garner a huge viewership, given the amount of spotlight the Sprint stars are getting via brand deals and other collaborations. Track and field athletes have always been a fan-favorite on the world stage. Sha’Carri Richardson is the poster child of it. She has had a very successful elite career but has also had various scandals and setbacks. Her struggle after testing positive for THC found in marijuana, during the U.S. Olympic trials resulted in a one-month suspension.

This put her out of the race for the 100-meter sprint at the Tokyo Olympics where she was a top contender for the gold. She is one of the few athletes who can probably match up if not surpass the popularity of football legend Neymar and UFC star Connor McGregor. In 2023, she was named the “world’s fastest woman.” Furthermore, she was cut a $20M five-year deal with Nike. Along with the challenges faced by Sha’Carri, other athletes have also overcome several roadblocks before they punched their ticket to Paris. The efforts of all the athletes, who are an inspiration for everyone, will definitely draw in viewers effortlessly for the new docuseries. The numbers will likely speak for themselves.

Sprint could surpass viewership of other star athlete documentaries

The anticipation surrounding the Paris Olympics is high due to many notable participants from across different sports, including track and field. As seen in the past, the presence of Lyles, Richardson, and Jackson garnered immense viewership. When Richardson missed out on the 2022 USATF Championship, Noah Lyles graced the stage, winning the gold medal in the 200m, finishing at 19.31 seconds – an American record. Shericka Jackson also won the gold medal in the 200m. That year, the WAC viewership was four times higher than 2019. The event held in Eugene, Oregon was seen by 834,000 viewers across NBC, USA Network and CNBC. NBC alone averaged 1.93 million for its 12 hours of coverage. 

But most astonishing was the number of people who tuned in to watch them. Apart from the 400,000 ticketed spectators from 120 countries, the world athletics website’s popularity soared. The day one traffic was 400,000 requests per minute, going up to 14 million per hour. Over the nine days, 14,000 news articles that were published garnered 28.5 billion viewers. Netflix will be able to predictably draw this crowd of viewers who are anticipating watching their favorite sprinters at the Paris Olympics. The new series will likely generate more excitement and anticipation, ultimately leading to more viewers. Do you think Netflix will be able to bag a big viewership win with Sprint amid the Olympics hype? Let us know in the comments.