(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia’s football league, home to Ronaldo and Neymar Jr., is in talks to produce a documentary series it hopes to sell to streaming companies such as Netflix Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

The Saudi Pro League wants to showcase its impact on world football after signing a host of star players in recent years. The organization has been in talks to hire WhisperTV, an independent production company co-founded by former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, one of the people said.

SPL didn’t respond to a request for comment. WhisperTV wasn’t available for comment. Representatives for Netflix and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport declined to comment.

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Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in football as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushes to diversify the economy into sports and tourism and make it less dependent on oil. Clubs in the Kingdom spent around $875 million bringing in foreign players last summer — a total only topped by English clubs’ spending.

At the same time, documentaries have become an important way for sports to engage with new fans. Hits such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive Formula 1 series and Amazon Prime’s All Or Nothing football documentaries have proved a boon for both streaming companies and sports franchises.

Saudi Arabia’s push into football has included the state-backed Public Investment Fund buying then-struggling English Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021, and taking over four SPL clubs last year. The Kingdom is also currently the sole bidder to host the 2034 World Cup.

Among big names, Cristiano Ronaldo joined local club Al Nassr in 2022 for a reported annual salary of around $200 million. Last year, Brazilian star Neymar Jr. and French striker Karim Benzema made the move, while Saudi Arabia has recruited renowned coaches including Steven Gerrard and Roberto Mancini. 

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was also among those moving to the Kingdom, before terminating his contract with Al-Ettifaq Club to make a surprise move to Dutch giants Ajax.

The Saudi league still struggles to attract fans. The average attendance for games in the 2023-24 season so far has been just over 8,200, down about 12% from the prior season, according to ESPN data.

Still, the global appeal of foreign stars has helped Saudi Arabia secure broadcasting deals for its games in more than 130 territories, at rates that Bloomberg has reported are four times higher than those for the previous season.

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