Disney+ In Talks With Manchester United For New Documentary
Following the success of multiple Disney+ Originals based on British Football, such as “Welcome To Wrexham,” “Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story,” and “Save Our Squad,” it looks like Disney is in talks with Manchester United to create new documentaries about one of the biggest Football blubs in the world.
According to the Athletic, this deal could be worth millions of dollars and the documentary would follow the club’s era of success when Sir Alex Ferguson managed the club for 26 years. During that time, the club won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies and five FA Cups.
Disney hasn’t officially announced that the series is happening, as Manchester United is holding out for improved terms, following the latest offer being lower than when Disney first approached them a few years ago. With a changing landscape within the streaming industry and with Disney looking to reduce its spending, this is likely to have an impact on how much Disney is willing to spend.
Should the documentary go ahead, the proposal would include some substantial interview time with Alex Ferguson, plus access to archive footage and other interviews with former team members Bryan Robson and Peter Schmeichel.
Many of the top football clubs have been looking to streaming services to boost their revenue, and sports documentaries have become very popular. Amazon has been successful with its “All Or Nothing” series, which covers a variety of teams, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City. The next series is set to follow Liverpool.
Amazon has also recently made a new three-part documentary about the club’s treble-winning campaign in 1998 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event. However, this documentary was independent and had no input from Manchester United, though it includes interviews with David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
Sporting content is one of the cornerstones of Disney’s content spending, and this new documentary would have plenty of international interest due to the club’s global fan base. It would also help Manchester United reach a larger audience globally while also providing Disney with localised content from the UK. It would also likely have some cross-over promotional opportunities with ESPN.
It’s important to note that this deal between Disney and Manchester United hasn’t officially been signed off and might still not happen if both parties don’t finalise a contract.
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