Boston Red Sox has announced that it will feature in two new shows on Netflix, making it the first Major League Baseball (MLB) team to do so.
For the first time, the streaming platform will follow the Red Sox over the course of its season in the MLB, providing viewers a window into what it takes to compete across a season’s ups and downs in one of the most rabid sports environments.
Tom Werner, Chairman of Boston Red Sox, stated: “The partnership between MLB, Netflix and the Red Sox will have a significant impact on growing the game of baseball. The reach of Netflix is profound and these docuseries are ambitious.”
“One will relive one of the most magical stories that forever changed this franchise, and the other is a truly groundbreaking endeavour that will provide an inside look at the lives and personalities of today’s Red Sox players.”
Throughout the collaboration, Netflix will have “unprecedented access” to players, coaches and executives throughout the 2024 season, with the docuseries scheduled to debut in 2025.
The team behind the docuseries will be Executive Producer and Director, Greg Whiteley of One Potato Productions, who has worked on Cheer, Last Chance U and Wrestlers. Also serving as Executive Producers are Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard of Boardwalk Pictures.
The second show is an untitled documentary looking back at the historic 2004 Red Sox season, which ended in one of the greatest comebacks in sports history and the franchise’s first World Series title in 86 years, with plans to publish the documentary later this year.
It will feature new, exclusive interviews with key players and figures from the team that broke one of baseball’s longest curses, with the franchise now winning more World Series (four) in the last 20 years than any club in MLB.
Produced by Meadowlark Media, Executive Producers include Nick Barnicle, Colin Barnicle (also Director), John Skipper, Deirdre Fenton, Howard Bryant, Melody Shafir, Nick Davis, and Nick Trotta.
Gabe Spitzer, Vice President, Nonfiction Sports, Netflix, commented: “Our fans love that our sports series focus on the drama of sport and nothing was more dramatic than the 2004 Red Sox season, especially having witnessed their comeback from the bleachers during Game 7 against the Yankees.
“We’re thrilled to partner with this iconic franchise to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the greatest sports comeback ever, while also looking forward to the team’s future with inside access to their 2024 campaign.”
This news comes after Netflix announced it would be the exclusive home of WWE RAW in the US, Canada, the UK and Latin America among other territories, in a deal worth $5bn over the next 10 years.
Noah Garden, Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media at Major League Baseball, said: “Baseball is driven by the incredible stories of our athletes. Teaming up with Netflix for these two exciting projects is a tremendous opportunity to not only bring our avid fans closer to the game they love, but also introduce new audiences to the undeniable emotion that baseball evokes.”
