More exposure for the NHL
Online sportsbook operator FanDuel will start live-streaming National Hockey League (NHL) games as part of a new deal with IMG Arena.
This will see the NHL get more exposure in the states that have legal sports betting where FanDuel is a licensed operator. These are West Virginia, Indiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
as many as two NHL games daily on its sports betting app
FanDuel will live-stream as many as two NHL games daily on its sports betting app for the rest of the NHL season. The games will change each night and there will only be live streams of out-of-market teams. This means there will be local team blackouts.
FanDuel customers will be able to access the live streams if they have funds in their account or have placed a bet on the event.
The deal’s intermediary
The intermediary in the live-streaming deal is IMG Arena, the IMG agency’s sports betting subsidiary. The company is working with major sports leagues such as the NHL to expand its presence in the US legal sports betting market.
IMG Arena has been collaborating with the NHL to provide a similar live-streaming service to markets in Europe since 2013. In February 2020, the operation was extended to allow deals with US sportsbooks to offer live-streaming features.
FanDuel looking at expansion
FanDuel has been working with many major sports leagues to create the most immersive offering as possible for its bettors. In a similar deal in November 2019, FanDuel partnered with MSG Networks to provide a sports betting aspect to New Jersey Devils and New York Knicks broadcasts.
a one-stop-shop for all sports and betting content”
FanDuel Group’s senior vice president and general manager, Niall Connell, said that with this latest deal, “Our goal is to become a one-stop-shop for all sports and betting content, and live streaming professional sports like hockey is one of the many ways we are reaching that goal.”
NHL embracing sports betting
The league believes it can create deeper fan engagement and reach a new audience by embracing the sector. Its official sports betting partners include MGM Resorts, William Hill, and FanDuel.
The deputy commissioner for the NHL, Bill Daly, spoke about the latest agreement with FanDuel. He said, “Once we made the jump to allowing our brand to be associated with sports betting companies, this was not a far leap. We’re supplying footage, we’re supplying feeds of our games.”
According to a Nielsen Sports report, the NHL could stand to gain an extra $216m in revenue annually as the US sports betting sector matures. Of this sum, $65m would be from gambling company advertising.