Defining Target Audience

Although sports documentaries aren't the most popular of the genre, it is a growing industry, "television for sports documentaries." An article in the NY Times, "Documentaries Are the Go-To Players of Sports Television" claims that "Their proliferation and profitability, even as a formerly dominant player in the market has markedly retreated from the field, has quickly brought a niche market into the mainstream." It's evident that this sub-genre has a niche market, especially more clear after research, but my goal was to define it so here it is. 

Primary Target Audience 

Males make up a majority of the audience. Now the word majority is key here. As women still make up a small percentage of the target audience, they cannot be ignored. 

The age range includes men from 21-50 years old. And these men are from mid to upper class. Most of their interests are within sports whether it be participating in them or simply watching sports. It's also important to consider that these men may like a specific sport like golf, but they will still go and watch a baseball documentary. 

Something I didn't mention in my previous post was that when your defining the primary target audience you must also consider their values and beliefs. Typically if something goes against them, they may not choose to watch the film. The values of this specific audience is definitely rooted in honesty, hard work, and sportsmanship as these are all traits that make up stellar athletes. 

Secondary Target Audience 

Sometimes sports documentaries teach lessons that appeal to larger audiences like parents and their children. The film "Undefeated" is a great example of this. 

This film tells the story of a coach who volunteers to help an underprivileged team that has never made it to the playoffs. This kind of story has the audience rooting for the underdog while simultaneously displaying the idea of never giving up no matter how little of a chance you believe you have. This is often a lesson parents want to teach their kids and a film as such is a great way of doing it. 

Now this documentary will reach the primary target audience, while reaching a larger audience as well. The film garnered $562,218 in the box office, just within the USA, and went on to win an Oscar for the powerful story it told. 

I can conclude that the target audience of sports documentaries consist of a very niche community, nevertheless they don't fail to reach the general public, male and female of different age ranges creating my secondary target audience, as these documentaries become increasingly popular. Therefore, although I may be targeting a specific group, this doesn't mean the attention of other's won't be caught as well, especially since this extract will cover more than just baseball. Underlying themes such as the power in support from your family, and sometimes failure in the sports industry thats inevitable will be present, attracting larger audiences. However, now I can begin making more large scale decisions for the production and planning of this documentary.