In what would be one of its biggest programming splashes yet, Facebook Watch is in talks with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for a reality series about his day-to-day life, Deadline has confirmed.
The planned 13-episode series would add to the sports lineup at Facebook Watch, which already distributes the basketball-themed Ball in the Family and Tom Brady close-up Tom vs. Time. While the social media giant has not disclosed viewership data, the strong promotional hooks and manageable production requirements of sports shows make them well-suited to a platform like Facebook.
In May, Watch boarded a scripted soccer drama with Ronaldo attached as an executive producer. That show comes with a series commitment and its other producers include the co-creators of Memphis Beat and former ABC programming chief Paul Lee’s independent studio, wiip.
A forward for both Real Madrid and the Portugal national team, Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Portugal was bounced from the World Cup last weekend by Uruguay in one of the tournament’s bigger surprises.
Even so, Ronaldo is the five-time recipient of the coveted Ballon d’Or, has won the FIFA Best Player in the World twice and the European Golden Shoe four times, on top of many other accolades. His popularity extends off the pitch, especially on social media, with 122 million followers on Facebook and 124 million on Instagram.
One TV ad by New York-area cable provider Optimum that has been in heavy rotation spoofs this image, depicting the star getting locked out of his hotel room in his underwear and winding up a trending topic on social media.
Variety had the first report about the show.
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