Film 45, the production company run by "Friday Night Lights" Dir Peter Berg, "teamed up" with Spanish producer Mediapro and IMG to produce
Amazon’s documentary series about Man City, according to Peter White of DEADLINE. The project, which is reported to have a budget of around £10M ($13M), was unveiled by the streaming service last week. However, the company "did not reveal the production team behind the fly-on-the-wall series." Deadline confirmed the trio of production companies behind the project. The producers will work in association with Amazon Studios. It is the latest Amazon sports documentary for Berg’s Film 45, following tennis doc Novak with Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. The company is also behind non-scripted series including Netflix’s The Keepers and QB1: Behind The Lights, which airs on Verizon’s go90 via Complex Networks’ Rated Red (
DEADLINE, 11/14).
CAUSING PROBLEMS: In London, Charles Sale reported the documentary series is "causing major ructions" in the Premier League. The opposition is led by Sky Sports, which has "given the go-ahead to the controversial Amazon project" having a camera presence on matchdays but is "far from happy about it." Sky is "very annoyed" that Man City signed such a deal for widespread access behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium when the broadcaster is paying billions for live match coverage "which is subject to numerous filming restrictions." There is "also bewilderment" that the Premier League let Amazon "in so near" the start of the next TV rights tender. Sky and BT Sport, which is also "unimpressed," will be expected to bankroll the league for another three years (DAILY MAIL, 11/13).
