NFL and Genius Sports expand partnership
December 6, 2022
The National Football League and Genius Sports Limited, today announced an expansion of their partnership to connect fans with live, select NFL games through major U.S. sports betting platforms.
As part of this expanded agreement and as an added benefit of its standing as an Official Sports Betting Partner and the first Official Casino Sponsor of the NFL, Caesars Entertainment (“Caesars”) (NASDAQ: CZR), one of the largest casino-entertainment companies in the United States, will become the first sportsbook operator to provide its U.S. customers with live Watch & Bet video streams for select NFL games on their mobile phones or tablets via the Caesars Sportsbook app.
Genius Sports will leverage its machine learning and live streaming technologies to power enhanced viewing experiences for NFL fans through Watch & Bet, and the development of its augmented live video betting products.
The NFL appointed Genius Sports in April 2021 as its exclusive worldwide distributor of real-time official play-by-play statistics, proprietary Next Gen Stats (NGS) data, and the League’s official sports betting data feed to media companies and sportsbooks in regulated markets. This partnership included the rights for Genius Sports to distribute low latency video feeds to sportsbooks in key international markets, which has now been expanded to include the U.S.
As a first of its kind in the U.S., Caesars Sportsbook will offer official data-driven in-game betting opportunities and player props alongside live video streams of NFL games to give their customers access to the most compelling in-play NFL betting experience available for mobile and tablets. In addition, Caesars Sportsbook will utilize official NFL league and team marks and logos to help promote their live premium content through a fully immersive Watch & Bet live wagering experience.
“The addition of live Watch & Bet video streaming brings the best that the NFL has to offer right into the Caesars Sportsbook app,” said Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital. “Delivering innovative technology like this remains a key emphasis for us, so being the first U.S. sportsbook to provide customers with in-app NFL live streaming isn’t something we take lightly. We’re thankful to bring an industry-leading new feature to our sports wagering app through our partnership with Genius Sports and the NFL.”
”We’re excited to offer fans a new way to experience and engage with NFL content,” said Brent Lawton, VP NFL Media Strategy and Business Development. “Watch and Bet is an innovative step forward in our partnerships with Genius Sports and Caesars.”
“In our expanded agreement with the NFL and Caesars Entertainment, Genius Sports has created a unique solution that combines our exclusive official NFL data with live streaming content to deliver the most compelling sports betting experience available across the U.S.,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports. “Accelerated by our long-term NFL partnership, Genius Sports continues to go from strength to strength as our innovative products enable our customers to grow their product offering and increase market share across North America.”
Genius Sports’ existing agreement with Caesars provides highly targeted programmatic marketing solutions as well as access to official data-powered in-play content for other top-tier US and global sports, including NASCAR, EPL, Argentinian and Colombian soccer, as well as Liga MX.