Ride to Survive? WSL teams up with production company behind Formula 1: Drive to Survive

The World Surf League (WSL) announced an expanded partnership with Box to Box Films on Monday. The partnership will see the production company behind Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive get first dibs on the production of original unscripted and scripted projects spanning the five-decade archive of the WSL.

The expanded partnership builds on the foundations laid by the two companies’ first foray into streaming, Make or Break. Make or Break offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of elite surfing in a format similar to Box to Box Films hit series Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

Make or Break debuted on Apple TV+ in April, with Deadline reporting a second season has already been ordered by the streaming company.

WSL CEO Erik Logan commented on the expanded partnership, stating, “Box to Box Films is undoubtedly the hottest production company in sports and their ability to tell unique stories is unmatched.”

“This partnership is a full-league deal and gives the team there – headed up by Oscar-winning James-Gay Rees and Emmy winner Paul Martin – the unprecedented opportunity to mine the archives of the entire sport,” added Logan.

“This type of access gives them a real opportunity to delve deep into the league’s rich history and use their intimate storytelling approach to take viewers inside the world, lives, and legends of the best surfers on the planet.”

Logan told Sportico last month, “we could only be so lucky to have a fraction of the success that they’ve had at F1 with the show,” during an interview discussing the release of Make or Break.

He spoke highly of Box to Box Films on that occasion, commenting, “I think what they do better than anybody is they dimensionalize our surfers on a human level that really gets you to see who they are.”

He also noted the current position of sport, stating, “where we are today is, we’re probably in the strongest, healthiest point of the entire sport and company.” However, he countered, “there’s huge headroom in terms of the number of people who are even aware that there’s a professional sports league.”

It’s unclear what content is in the works under the expanded partnership, or how it will help increase the reach of surfing. However, with surfing heading to one of its spiritual homes during the 2024 Olympic Games, it makes sense that efforts are underway to raise the profile of the sport.

Olympic qualification could create an extra dose of drama should Make or Break get approved for a third season. The 2023 WSL Championship Tour will award around a third of the athlete quotas on offer for the 2024 Summer Olympics. While the expanded partnership may directly benefit the WSL, it could also help raise interest in surfing at the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will surely be keen to examine the sport’s impact on viewing numbers during the Paris 2024 Games. Only time will tell if the new partnership will help make or break surfing’s future at the Olympic Games.