Mining fandom: Music’s Drive to Survive moment

Netflix’s Drive to Survive did more than introduce a new entertainment layer for sports fans. The F1 docuseries provided a framework for re-igniting and nurturing fandom. Before then, sports documentaries would have been considered ‘spin-off’ content. It would have been a way to extend engagement with motorsport fans in the downtime period between races.

Drive to Survive changed that by giving docuseries enough clout to stand alone. By focusing on the sport’s personalities and their narrative potential rather than F1’s technicalities, a new breed of F1 fan emerged. This fan was Drive to Survive first and F1 second. They may have had no initial motorsport knowledge or appetite to watch live sport but became invested enough to start watching the races because of the docuseries. This was less of a fan funnel and more of a two-way street. F1’s existing fans were also moving in the other direction to Netflix, attracted by the behind-the-scenes exposure.

The results may be well documented but are no less compelling. Drive to Survive prompted double digit increases in live F1 viewing (source: ESPN), helped lower the average age of fans (source: Autosport), and doubled the number of female fans (source: Autosport). It gave sponsors comfort that F1 was not super serving an older demographic and had a sustainable future worth investing in.

Music’s docuseries potential

Since then, attempts have been made to mimic Drive to Survive’s success elsewhere in sport. These range from Amazon Prime Video’s All or Nothing Series to Netflix’s Beckham. The approach has also evolved into a tool for mining fandom across different genre types.

Among those is music, high profile examples include The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+ and Netflix’s Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana. The Beatles docuseries served fans and superfans through several touch points. Footage was upscaled for modern devices while unseen footage challenged beliefs that the album Let it Be was made during a tense period for the band. It also pulled in casual viewers who were attracted to ‘70s music nostalgia or interested in how the iconic album was made.

For Taylor Swift, the Miss Americana documentary added another point of engagement during a period of significant brand awareness. The docuseries covered her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018 and the launch of her seventh studio album Lover in 2019 before being released on Netflix on January 21, 2020.  Both speak to the versatility of docuseries. They can serve superfans or simply amplify awareness of an already popular artist.

What is the long-term opportunity for music?

The long-term appeal for labels and artists is their ability to re-ignite music fandom, leading to increased engagement with an artist's back catalogue and more exposure on social platforms. While streaming TV has always been capable of generating cultural moments in music, the engagement has often been happenstance of the TV shows success. For example, the iconic scene from Amazon Prime Video’s Saltburn where the main character dances to Sophie Ellis Bextor’s ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ prompted a TikTok trend and the song reached number two in the charts 23 years after its release. But it was still largely a Saltburn moment.

However, Sky’s Boyzone docuseries Boyzone: No Matter What (released on February 2, 2025) was able to generate similar traction without having to share the spoils. The ripple effect of the show’s release prompted Boyzone’s Greatest Hits album, Back Again…No Matter What, to reach number one in the album download charts on iTunes (February 5, 2025). This was achieved by tapping into a nostalgia for ‘90s culture and providing an unvarnished take on boyband life. It also generated headlines and a stream of social posts due to controversial remarks made by the band’s former manager Louis Walsh. A similar trend is poised to play out when Take That release their Netflix documentary later this year.

Unlike music in TV and films, docuseries provide greater focus on the artist and can be planned to maximise exposure across platforms. This is important because while streaming TV can spark cultural moments, it is creators on social platforms that fan the flames of engagement.

Arguably, music represents an even bigger docuseries opportunity than sport. There are a finite number of competitions and access to talent can be challenging. Music’s talent pool is much larger and is desperate for exposure. Music existing relationship with behind-the-scenes fanaticism and music videos also lend well to film and docuseries adaptations. Boyzone: No Matter What is a strong example of what happens when cultural trends and catalogue artists can come together in a new format, to boost fandom overall.