ITV and Coral Announce ‘Against the Odds’ Sports Documentary

A ten-part new documentary series that will feature some of the most inspiring stories in sport is launching on ITV funded by Entain-owned sports betting brand Coral.

Stories behind Success in Sports

“Against the Odds” sports documentary series will introduce audiences to the hurdles some of the big names in sport faced along their path to success, defying all odds. Each episode of the show will coincide with a major sporting event, including The Ashes, the FA Cup, the Six Nations and the Cheltenham festival.

“It’s hugely exciting to be teaming up with Coral to tell ten such compelling and inspirational stories.’Against The Odds’ will give the viewers a real insight into the unseen world of the athlete- away from the bright lights- and highlight what it takes to make it at the very highest level of sport.”

Phil Heslop, Executive Producer, ITV Sport

Funded by Coral and produced by a content team comprising the 7Stars, Supernova, and ITV Sport, the series is set to run on ITV4, ITV Hub, and ITV’s main channel from October 2021 until July 2022. The first of the episodes that will be broadcast on October 19 will feature top UK flat jockey Hollie Doyle and her story on the rise to the top.

Speaking about the new announcement, Coral Head of Brand Marketing Chris Brocklehurst noted that sports history is full of stories in which individuals or teams had to face adversity and beat the odds and the new ITV series would tell some of the stories behind the triumph.

“This is a brand new format for Coral and it brilliantly captures some of the most compelling and exciting stories in sport and cements Coral’s position as a leader in sport.”

Chris Brocklehurst, Head of Brand Marketing, Coral

Advertiser Funded Program

The agreement with ITV will allow Coral a full activation package, while both ITV and Coral will broadcast the series across multiple platforms. Coral’s platforms will also feature behind-the-scenes footage, in-store promotion, and branding, as well as merchandise for competitions signed by some of the talents.

ITV Commercial Deputy managing director Simon Dalglish outlined the growing role of Advertiser Funded Programs “to help create a more engaged form of dialogue” with the audience and the new series in collaboration with Coral is the perfect example of that.

Sports and Partnerships Lead at the7Stars Taylor Barr also stressed the increasing importance of ad-funded programming as a “tool for brands to reach consumers through their passions”, while Claire Baker, Global Creative Director at DRUM, the creative and content agency overseeing the commercial creative output of the series, added that the agency “created a series of sponsorship idents”, along with “monthly social content”, to celebrate the production partnership behind the series.

The next episodes of the documentary will feature fellow riders Guy Disney and Johnny Murtagh, as well as Darts World Champion Gerwyn Price. All episodes will be presented by leading members of presenting team at ITV Sport, including Gabriel Clarke, Mark Pougatch, Ed Chamberlin, Francesca Cumani, Jacqui Oatley, and Oli Bell.