Not knowing anything about the other docuseries, I'd argue that one reason for the decline in the viewership of Drive to Survive is caused by its very success: people are watching the races now. There's not much need to watch a series recapping the previous year (and certainly no dramatic tension) when you watched it unfold in real time by following the races. By converting fans of the show to fans of the sport their mission was accomplished but that in turn would naturally affect viewership, imo.
DTS worked because F1 has so many different layers that appeal beyond the sport itself - fashion, politics, travel, personalities, and team dynamics. A lot of the follow-up series ended up feeling like “athletes train and compete” on repeat, which mainly appeals to existing fans rather than bringing in new people. One that could buck the trend, though, is the upcoming equestrian/show jumping series, because it has that same luxury and lifestyle angle that gives viewers more than just training montages and competition footage.
Not knowing anything about the other docuseries, I'd argue that one reason for the decline in the viewership of Drive to Survive is caused by its very success: people are watching the races now. There's not much need to watch a series recapping the previous year (and certainly no dramatic tension) when you watched it unfold in real time by following the races. By converting fans of the show to fans of the sport their mission was accomplished but that in turn would naturally affect viewership, imo.
DTS worked because F1 has so many different layers that appeal beyond the sport itself - fashion, politics, travel, personalities, and team dynamics. A lot of the follow-up series ended up feeling like “athletes train and compete” on repeat, which mainly appeals to existing fans rather than bringing in new people. One that could buck the trend, though, is the upcoming equestrian/show jumping series, because it has that same luxury and lifestyle angle that gives viewers more than just training montages and competition footage.
Amen!!