Plans to produce an official documentary of the British & Irish Lions upcoming tour of South Africa have reportedly been dealt a major blow.
The documentary – allowing viewers to go behind the scenes inside both camps – was reportedly part of the commercial partnership deal between SA Rugby and the Lions.
The Lions hoped the documentary could become the rugby equivalent of Netflix’s hit ‘The Last Dance’, which covered the inside story of basketball icon Michael Jordan’s career.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Lions have failed to sell the rights for the documentary despite holding negotiations with both streaming giants and traditional broadcasters.
The report states that both Sky and BT Sport have turned down the opportunity, while talks with Amazon and Netflix have also proved to be unsuccessful.
At the heart of the issue was the uncertainty around the tour schedule, which could be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the lack of travelling Lions fans to add more colour to the documentary.
As an alternative, the Lions have filmed head coach Warren Gatland’s selection meetings and their reconnaissance trip to Jersey. If a broadcasting partner is not found, the footage will be released on the Lions’ channels.
Gatland will name his 36-man squad for the tour on Thursday afternoon. Alun Wyn Jones is set to be confirmed as the team’s 2021 captain.
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