Legal

Amazon opts for DraftKings for Thursday Night Football sponsor and in-play odds partner

Neil Roarty profile picture
Sports Editor
Disclosure
We sometimes use affiliate links in our content, when clicking on those we might receive a commission – at no extra cost to you. By using this website you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.
melissa-mcgovern-u4w0n2i2bJE-unsplash (1)

DraftKings has been announced as sponsor and in-play odds partner for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, the live NFL broadcast exclusively shown on the ecommerce sites streaming service, Prime Video.

The deal is multi-year but financial details of the deal remain undisclosed. The deal will see DraftKings featured within all 15 Thursday Night Football games played this season, with DraftKings content featuring most heavily in the pre-game show, showing odds and sports betting information.

Another component will be ‘Thursday Night Football branded same-game parlays’ that can be placed through the DraftKings mobile app. From recent earnings calls, the DraftKings commercial team has made it clear that the ‘path to profitability’ lies through improved margins which will be made through increased participation in parlays and same-game parlays.

These are known throughout industry as the highest margin sports betting products and earnings calls have suggested a continued pivot and encouragement of them moving forward.

Media rights and the NFL…

Media rights for the upcoming NFL season were sold for over US$10bn as broadcast giants across the spectrum bid for the American Football action in upcoming years. There has been continued rumours of ESPN launching its own betting app, or Disney being involved, but it’s yet to materialise. To date, the DraftKings deal with Amazon for Thursday Night Football looks one of the biggest from a betting operator to broadcaster point-of-view.

Given Amazon isn’t a typical television broadcaster, but instead runs through its Prime application, concerns over data delay and how relevant in-play odds will be to the consumer remain at the forefront of discussion. Betting and sport work together in great harmony, but the product needs to be solid and the call to action too. Only time will tell if DraftKings can achieve meaningful consumer acquisition numbers, and the cost it may entail. DK are historically one of, if not the highest spender per head on a CPA basis and this looks unlikely to change.

Neil is a gambling industry veteran with over 15 years experience as a content writer, editor and speaker at events. He has a Masters degree in English Literature and Philosophy and has combined this analytical inquisitiveness with a passion for sports betting and casino gaming. Neil started his career with Bettingpro.com and helped build not only that site but various others such as LiveTennis.com, LiveDarts.com and numerous other sports informational sites, including GG.co.uk and RacingTips.com He then made the transition to the North American market, working both in the UK and in New Jersey to launch various sports betting and casino sites, including AmericanBettingExperts and NewAmericanCasinos. Working with regulators, Neil has helped to review sports betting sites and also test the regulated betting apps in a professional capacity. He now works almost exclusively in the US market and is one of the main reviewers and fact checkers on SportsLens gambling content. He also speaks at various gambling conferences including ICE, iGB Live and SBC Americas and has contributed to GamblingInsider, EGR Magazine and a number of others in a consulting capacity.

Trending Now