Tennis documentary series Break Point viewership disappoints; trails Netflix's Drive to Survive, Full Swing, according to January-June 2023 data

The viewership figures for the first season of Netflix's tennis docuseries Break Point are underwhelming compared to Drive to Survive and Full Swing, which were made in collaboration with Formula 1 and PGA, respectively.

Break Point, tennis' premier documentary series, released the first part of its first season in January last year. The second part dropped towards the end of June, which was around the same time the viewership data for Netflix's TV shows was collected.

A fan took to social media on Wednesday (January 3) to illustrate the contrast in viewership for Break Point's first season, Drive to Survive's fifth season, and Full Swing's first season. According to the numbers, while Break Point was Netflix's 617th-best TV show in 2023, its F1 and PGA counterparts were much higher ranked, at 121 and 274, respectively.

Moreover, Break Point's Season 1 was watched for only 30.5 million hours. Drive to Survive's Season 5 and Full Swing's Season 1, meanwhile, recorded 90.2 million and 53.1 million hours, respectively.

Break Point's Season 1 had a relatively long running time of 7.8 hours. Drive to Survive and Full Swing only had an approximate duration of 6.7 and six hours, respectively, and still achieved better viewership figures.

It is pertinent to note, however, that episodes six to 10 of Break Point were released in late June, meaning fans had very little time to view those episodes. It is possible that the above discrepancy hurt the viewership figures of the docuseries.

Netflix's tennis documentary TV series Break Point was received well by critics

Thanasi Kokkinakis (L) & Nick Kyrgios featured in Netflix's Break Point Season 1

While Break Point didn't achieve the commercial success fans would've wanted it to, the docuseries was received with enthusiasm from casual fans and critics alike. According to Metacritic, a famous reviews aggregator website, it received a 74/100 score.

Rotten Tomatoes, which is another site that reviews films and TV shows, gave a "Certified Fresh" rating of 81% to the series, writing in their critical consensus:

"Serving up a fresh look at the next generation of tennis stars, Break Point is strictly for established fans of tennis but full of well-aimed volleys into insight."

Break Point featured the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Paula Badosa and Ons Jabeur, among some other big names, and covered the big tournaments on the ATP and WTA tours. The tennis documentary series was renewed for a second season last March.