ITV to greenlight six sports docs as part of rebranded diverse commissioning strand

Richard Botchway, left, and Nahrein Kemp

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has rebranded its diverse commissioning strand Fresh Cuts under the new title Outlier and is seeking pitches for six sports documentaries from diverse-led prodcos.

The factual projects will premiere during what ITV is calling its ‘year of sport’ in 2026, which includes coverage of the FIFA World Cup and the inaugural Nations Championships rugby tournament.

The Fresh Cuts strand ran for four years and saw the commission of 22 documentaries and a comedy special. Under the new moniker Outlier, it will now focus exclusively on sports-related storytelling.

This year’s slate will feature six 1×46′ docs, each receiving a budget of £50,000 (US$67,000). Funded by ITV’s Diversity Commissioning Spend, Outlier is now inviting pitches from prodcos owned by people of colour and/or deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent creatives.

For 2026, ITV is seeking authorised storytelling with high stakes, emotional depth and a “premium streaming sensibility.”

The documentaries are expected to be cinematic character-driven and culturally relevant, uncovering overlooked stories or revisiting defining moments within the world of sport.

The doc does not necessarily have to focus on diversity, provided it is produced by a diverse-led company.

Richard Botchway, commissioning editor for the series, said: “Outlier represents a fresh step forward in our commitment to diverse storytelling. By focusing on sports in 2026, we are giving some of the UK’s most talented diverse-led production companies the stage to tell gripping, high-stakes stories that can surprise and thrill our audiences.”

Nahrein Kemp, diversity, equity and inclusion and talent lead, ITV, said: “After four successful years of Fresh Cuts, rebranding as Outlier allows us to sharpen our focus.

“We are looking for those ‘hidden in plain sight’ stories – the ones that make you wonder how you’ve never heard them before. This is about championing fresh perspectives in an area of programming that brings people together like nothing else.”