Sports publishers are increasingly digging out a gold mine in the partnerships they can forge with sports books, especially around major sporting events like the Super Bowl. And Bleacher Report is no different.
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Though the legality of sports betting isn’t consistent among U.S. states, sports publishers are seeing this space as a way to better connect with fans and establish new revenue streams. Even if the ability to attribute these audiences remains blurry.
Last Monday night, Bleacher Report simultaneously aired a branded live stream show on its mobile app YouTube channel and Twitter feed called the B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal.
DraftKings programmed and hosted the hour-long show, and it remains to be seenhow successful these media partnerships will be in converting audiences into bettors.
The stream announced 40 of the more than 150 “prop bets” (bets that are made on the occurrence of events during a game without being related to the game’s final outcome) that the sponsor DraftKings will be offering on its sports book for the Super Bowl this Sunday, according to the company. These bets range from which team will make the first touchdown to what color the Gatorade will be that gets dumped on the winning coach’s head.
Within 24-hours of streaming, the DraftKing Prop Reveal show received over 1 million views between the app and the social handles — five times the average number of views for B/R’s live videos, said Joe Yanarella, general manager of the publisher’s betting vertical B/R Betting.
- DraftKings revealed Tuesday morning that the sports betting operator is partnering with Bleacher Report to host a proprietary Super Bowl prop bet reveal show on the Bleacher Report app.
- 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - With the 2020-2021 NFL season on the verge of its climactic close, Bleacher Report and DraftKings will provide football fans with an exclusive first glimpse at DraftKings’ proprietary Super Bowl prop bets.
Yanarella added that during the livestream, 16,000 people commented on the video, making it the second most engaged-with video on the publisher’s app in its history. Betting videos are also the most streamed pieces of live video content on the B/R app and users who bet are five times more engaged than users who do not bet, he said. Through a series of internal surveys and research, B/R found that 59% of its national audience bet on sports, though it is unclear if that all happens in states where this is legal, or if this includes off-shore betting.
But it’s difficult to track these DraftKings customers as part of the B/R audience. Josh Linforth, commercial director for Genius Sports Media, a part of the sports media buying agency Genius Sports Group, said that sports books do not ultimately care about attribution when they’re making a media buy.
“At the moment, they want distribution, eyeballs and market share” during the “initial land grab” for potential online sports bettors, Linforth said.
Neither Bleacher Report nor DraftKings were willing to disclose the average conversion rate that sponsored content for the sports book received in turning readers into bettors, but these content partnerships procure at best 10% conversion rates, Linforth said.
While regulations around the legality of online betting change almost monthly, the arrangement is mutually beneficial: sports books need “maximum distribution” to grow and publishers need audiences, he added.
Especially when the partnership is seamlessly integrated, such as the live show, which featured a round table of experts and talent from Bleacher Report and DraftKings.
“That lifestyle content of people around a table who are really playing and betting can get the juices flowing in people’s brains” who could then become inspired to place a bet, said Matt Kalish, co-founder of DraftKings and president of North America, especially if they offer a new angle around why a prop bet makes sense.
What’s more, the models for these deals lead to high paydays for publishers as they can include either cost per acquisition rates of between $200 to $500, a flat fee for the content generated up top or in many cases a hybrid model of both, he said.
On average, “tier one” publishers, such as the ESPNs and Bleacher Reports of the world, can earn seven-figures of revenue form these deals, according to Linforth, whose company signed a two-year deal with a competitor sports book FanDuel this week to be one of its main media buying partners in the U.S. And even smaller sports blogs can easily sign six-figure deals, Linforth added.
Bleacher Report declined to disclose how much it was receiving from this particular partnership.
BOSTON, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the 2020-2021 NFL season on the verge of its climactic close, Bleacher Report and DraftKings will provide football fans with an exclusive first glimpse at DraftKings’ proprietary Super Bowl prop bets in a new reveal show streamed live on the Bleacher Report app.
B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal is an original concept show featuring experts and celebrity guests, interactive segments, fan giveaways and a reveal of the most talked-about bets for the Big Game. Fans can tune in Monday, Jan. 25 at 6 pm ET—within 24 hours of the determination of the NFL conference championships– to watch live.
The show will air simultaneously on the B/R mobile app, B/R YouTube and Twitter channels. Viewers on the B/R app will be able to follow along and participate with their own takes for a chance to win special giveaways.
B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal will be hosted by Bleacher Report’s Cabbie Richards and Greg Ivory and feature top experts sharing insights on betting associated with the Big Game, including B/R Betting’s Kelly Stewart and DraftKings' Head of Sportsbook Johnny Avello alongside celebrity guest Chad Ochocinco. The show will feature 40 different props across five categories with special appearances by celebrity influencers.
The show’s creation stems from a multi-year agreement between DraftKings and Turner Sports which made the digital sports entertainment and gaming company the exclusive sportsbook and daily fantasy sports provider for select Turner Sports and Bleacher Report properties, excluding NBA programming.
“So much has changed for DraftKings over the years, but the Super Bowl is always an iconic sports moment where we continue to scale with new offerings and experiences like this reveal show alongside Bleacher Report,” said Matt Kalish, co-founder and president of DraftKings North America. “Prop betting is already a popular product for the NFL championship and appeals to all types of fans, so showcasing these markets within the Bleacher Report network for the first time helps enhance our offerings in 2021.”
According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated 26 million Americans wagered nearly $7 billion on Super Bowl LIV.
Bleacher Report has also seen significant engagement in its sports betting and football-related content. Over the course of the season, B/R Betting – B/R’s sports betting vertical – was the most engaged and most viewed social media account devoted to sports betting. In the final weeks of last year’s football season, B/R marked a 46% increase in engagements across its channels, with 23 million fans visiting the B/R site and app.
“Super Bowl prop bets fuel a massive amount of the cultural conversation around the game, expanding the narrative for the biggest sporting event of the year. It’s exactly that type of off-the-field content that Bleacher Report does best and our audience craves. Our show will tap into this conversation, providing fans with a special event before the main event,” said Joe Yanarella, GM of B/R Betting.
B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal will launch and highlight an assortment of offers from several categories, including Quick Hitters, Player Props, Exotic Props, Over Unders and Yes-No Props. In total, DraftKings will be offering over 200 different prop bets for the Big Game. Additionally, fans everywhere will be able to enter the $55 Million Super Bowl Prediction Challenge, a free to play pool with fans instantly unlocking a random reward between $3 in prizes and $25K with $1 million awarded to the winner of the pool.
For more information on DraftKings, visit www.draftkings.com or download the mobile apps via iOS and Android.
Additional details on Bleacher Report and the upcoming reveal show are available at www.bleacherreport.com or via the B/R mobile app.
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About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirits of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for 50+ operators across more than 15 regulated U.S. and global markets, including Arkansas and Oregon in the U.S. DraftKings’ Sportsbook offers mobile and retail betting for major U.S. and international sports and operates in the United States pursuant to regulations in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 8 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is the official daily fantasy partner of the NFL, MLB and the PGA TOUR as well as an authorized gaming operator of the NBA and MLB and an official betting operator of the PGA TOUR.
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Bleacher Report is a leading sports media brand reaching more than 200 million hyper-connected young sports fans each month through distribution of premium content. It is the #1 sports brand driving engagement and video views across all social platforms and the Bleacher Report app, while fueling offline engagement through unparalleled experiences that blend sports with culture. Bleacher Report has a portfolio of brands that includes House of Highlights, B/R Football, B/R Kicks, B/R Gridiron and B/R Betting, delivering customized content that caters to the unique passions of its fans across its owned and operated channels and world-leading social platforms. Bleacher Report is a division of Turner Sports, which provides it access to premium live content from the NBA, Major League Baseball, and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Find Bleacher Report on the industry-leading Bleacher Report app, www.bleacherreport.com and on Instagram @BleacherReport.
Forward-Looking Statements
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