- DraftKings and DISH Network are partnering on integrating sports betting and DFS on a variety of DISH platforms.
- The initial implementation will be a DraftKings app integration on the DISH TV Hopper platform.
- The DraftKings app will interface with DISH program scheduling and voice remote.
In the early development of the US sports betting market there have been several promotional ‘battle lines’ that have been drawn out. One of these is mainstream and niche media. Betting companies are anxious to make deals with TV networks to feature their odds and branding both as advertising and as a component of their editorial content. ESPN is partnered with Caesars Entertainment/William Hill, for example.
One of the companies that has been extremely effective at these ‘cross disciplinary’ partnerships is DraftKings. In their latest promotional announcement they’ve taken a new approach–instead of partnering with a TV network they’ve make a deal with one of the companies that delivers the content. DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) and DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH) have announced a strategic agreement to integrate daily fantasy and sports betting experiences within their platforms. The first implementation will be a DraftKings app integrated into the DISH TV Hopper platform with plans to integrate into other DISH properties such as SlingTV down the road.
Brian Neylon, Group President, DISH TV, is excited to work with DraftKings to bring sports betting and daily fantasy sports to DISH customers:
“The integration with DraftKings is an exciting enhancement for our customers and a great addition to the growing DISH TV Hopper platform — a one-stop entertainment hub. We’re thrilled to work with DraftKings to amplify the sports-fan experience, and extend the DraftKings footprint across our unique suite of services, including SLING TV and Boost Mobile, with potential applications across our 5G wireless buildout in the future.”
The betting implementation itself will be a little clunky at first, no doubt for regulatory reasons. DISH TV customers can access the DK app to view betting odds. According to the press release announcing the deal they can then ‘initiate bets with DraftKings directly from their TV’. Customers will then be prompted via text message to ‘complete the transaction’ within the DraftKings mobile app. At launch, one of the coolest things about the DraftKings integration will be the ability to set recordings and/or programming reminders for live events. The app will also be compatible with the DISH Voice Remote and viewers can open the Draft Kings app by saying ‘Launch DraftKings’. Of course, actual wagering is limited to customers in states where DraftKings offers sports betting though the app itself will be available to all DISH TV Hopper customers. There’s a bit of ‘small print’ that goes along with this:
*Excluding customers in regulated sports betting states where DISH gaming approvals are still pending: West Virginia, Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New Jersey (as of 7:30 a.m. ET March 3).
Paul Liberman, president of product and technology and co-founder at DraftKings, realizes that there will be plenty of innovation to come:
“Our deal with DISH TV and the technology behind it immerses customers within a next-generation viewership experience and reaches these fanbases in a completely new way. This is a unique opportunity for fans to watch games and engage with our real-money products while the technology also allows for further innovation ahead.”
There’s a lot of interesting things that could develop out of this partnership assuming the regulatory powers that be will allow it. At this point, it’ll be like everything else in the US sports betting ecosystem–it’ll be cool for residents of the few states that are doing it right (eg: Colorado, Iowa) and will suck in the many states that don’t have a clue about sports betting (eg: Tennessee, Oregon). For their part, DISH is highlighting the partnership on their website with the tagline “The first ever partnership between a sportsbook app and a TV provider”.
Interestingly, the DISH page highlighting their partnership with DraftKings has this disclaimer:
DraftKings Sportsbook is currently only available on DISH in legal betting states, excluding New Jersey. Requires internet-connected Hopper.
If you want to check out the full info page at DISH you can hit the link below:
