Netflix and Box to Box, the company that produced the Formula 1 docuseries “Drive to Survive,” are teaming up on a similar project focused on the PGA Tour.
Several top golfers have already agreed to participate, per Golf.com. Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, and Cameron Champ are reportedly very interested, and Vox Media executives are courting Justin Thomas, and Bryson DeChambeau.
The series will initially center on the 2021-2022 season.
“Drive to Survive” is credited with driving a 99% year-over-year increase in social media engagements in 2020 for Formula 1 across across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube — tops among all sports leagues.
F1 viewership held steady at 87.4 million per Grand Prix in 2020 despite cancelations and other challenges related to the pandemic.
The PGA Tour is seeking similar bump.
- The golf tour lags with 18-34 year-olds, with 24% of that cohort saying they had never heard of it as of April.
- PGA Tour viewership was up 30% in 2021 compared to last year, as of March 11.
- In March, the PGA Tour signed nine-year media deals with NBC, CBS, and ESPN believed to be worth around $640 million to $700 million per season.
Netflix is also working on a series about NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace and WWE owner Vince McMahon.
