FanDuelTV Sports Betting Channel to Hit TVs in September
Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images. Pictured: FanDuel logo
FanDuel, America's market leader in the sports gambling space, is launching the country's first sports betting-dedicated cable channel in September, the sportsbook announced today.
FanDuel TV, along with a streamable FanDuel+, will feature round-the-clock sports and sports wagering content from some of the most influential personalities in sports media, according to a press release.
FanDuel will bring its content to cable by rebranding its TVG horse racing network – currently available on Apple TV, Direct TV and simulcast in various cities across the country.
Pat McAfee, the former Indianapolis Colts punter-turned WWE commentator and podcaster, will announce a role with the network on an upcoming episode of the The Pat McAfee Show – the No. 9 sports podcast on Spotify.
His involvement was rumored in July, when FanDuel reportedly circulated a memo on its plans for TVG.
McAfee signed a four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel last December. He'll be joined by Bill Simmons, founder of the sports/pop-culture website The Ringer, which FanDuel brought on as an exclusive sponsor last December.
Kay Adams, formerly of NFL Network's Good Morning Football, will host a SportsCenter-style morning show on weekdays, according to the release.
FanDuelTV will hit television sets less than two months after FanDuel appointed Chief Marketing Officer Mike Raffensperger as head of content and programming.
It's the latest development in sports betting companies' pivot into running their own content arms rather than paying to be ESPN or Fox Sports' official betting sponsor.
It'll position FanDuel to better push parlays and Same-Game Parlays, which make up a substantial portion of its overall revenue. Its high-paid sponsors like McAfee and Simmons regularly push their own SGPs in the app and will likely promote those on FanDuel's network.
FanDuel's parent company Flutter Entertainment acquired TVG in 2008.
DraftKings acquired a similar asset last year when it struck a partnership with Meadowlark Media, the content network founded by former ESPN executive John Skipper and on-air talent Dan Le Betard. The company signed a multi-year streaming deal with Apple last year.
FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ will also feature live sporting events such as horse racing and international basketball, as the company "intends to become the new home of international basketball in the U.S."
FanDuel+, the streaming-only version, will be available on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and other over-the-top media platforms.
The service will be free to anyone with a FanDuel sportsbook, casino, horse racing or daily fantasy sports log-in.
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