For F1 and the PGA Tour, Netflix is one part of a popularity ‘domino effect’

Pierre Gasly remembers when Formula One didn’t captivate the American audience.

Sitting at a media roundtable ahead of the Netflix Cup in Las Vegas last year, he recalled arriving in Austin, Texas, for the U.S. Grand Prix several years ago when he was Red Bull’s reserve driver. Someone asked Gasly, “What are you doing?” The Frenchman tried explaining the role, equating it to sitting on the bench until the official driver ever needed a replacement.

“Are you a NASCAR driver?” the individual asked, to which Gasly responded, “It’s okay, I’m a NASCAR driver. I’ll go with that.”

Coming to the U.S. looks very different now as more fans embrace the sport. F1’s calendar features three American races out of its 24-grands prix slate, and teams are holding season launches stateside, in no small part due to the Netflix docuseries, “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”

Netflix isn’t solely responsible for the latest bumps in F1’s popularity (that NASCAR is hoping for with its show that debuts on Jan. 30). But the global streaming giant is part of the domino effect as sports worldwide try to reach different fanbases, especially a younger and more diverse group of spectators.

“It feels like our stereotypical viewer five years ago was middle-aged and had a bit of experience in cars, and he knew how to fix his own car. Maybe that’s a very, very outrageous claim. But that’s what it felt like,” said Williams’ driver Alex Albon. “Nowadays, we see it even in my social (media) figures, the way that it’s changing, and it’s truly a Gen Z front.”

From ‘slowish burn’ to a ‘raging fire’

Ta-dum.

You know the sound. You don’t even need to be in the room, just within earshot, to know there’s a vibrant red ‘N’ being drawn on the screen as the global streaming platform boots up. Netflix’s reach is widespread and powerful.

The streaming juggernaut changed how society consumes television shows and movies and, in turn, changed fame. The ‘Netflix Effect’ is a common phrase we hear nowadays as actors/actresses can become famous overnight as millions binge-watch the latest season. (Think Jenna Ortega and “Wednesday.”) Sports docuseries like “Drive to Survive” are recent examples that have experienced the global phenomenon. So far, the “Netflix Effect” hasn’t been easy for competitors to reproduce.

“I don’t know that anyone has really cracked that code to the effect that Netflix has,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer. “I think their ability to change the appointment viewing habits that most people have traditionally had and really turn casual viewers into binge-watchers, especially with some of the sports programming, I think it’s been really impressive to see.”

People crave the inside look, which is historically a winning formula in shows…