Netflix is making a reality show about cricket for India.
The streaming giant is partnering with Condé Nast Entertainment for an unscripted series about the Mumbai Indians, the most successful cricket team in the Indian Premier League. The eight-part series will follow the squad as they attempt to win the league for a record fourth time in the second-most watched sport in the world.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the show will bring viewers a never-before-seen look at the richest tournament in cricket by covering unseen aspects of the team, the compelling stories and characters that bind them with the vibrant city they call home. The series will spend time with players in the 2018 season on and off the field, on the road and at home, to go deep into the cricketing values and traditions that make the Mumbai Indians the most followed team globally, all leading up to the IPL18 final.
The project is being produced by Condé Nast Entertainment and will be available exclusively on Netflix to over 117 million members in 190 countries around the world. Executive producers include Al Edgington, Joe LaBracio, Dawn Ostroff, Jeremy Finn, Jamie Stewart and James Maby.
Sources say Netflix sees India’s 1.3 billion residents — and their 300 million smartphone users — as their next great hope for global expansion. The streamer has been expanding in India since January 2016, and while it has dabbled in such local programming as the original series Sacred Games, it largely has depended on global premium content and Hollywood fare to drive growth.
