DraftKings has announced an expansion to their ongoing partnership with Major League Baseball. The deal will now include increased promotional rights and new and exclusive sports betting content.
The expansion sees DraftKings recognized as a jointly exclusive sports betting partner of MLB, along with BetMGM. This will see the sportsbook receive advertisement opportunities at MLB games.
The central innovation of this new agreement will be the introduction of a ‘Bet and Watch’ feature, allowing viewers to watch live MLB games within the DraftKings app. This content will feature stream integrated sports betting content.
“In 2012, MLB helped ignite the daily fantasy industry by becoming our first-ever league partner, and that same foresight has persisted over the years as our organizations look to disrupt and innovate further through this expansion,” said Matt Kalish, president of DraftKings North America and co-founder. “As we adapt and scale integrations within the constantly evolving sports landscape, MLB and DraftKings will again shape the future of fan engagement in baseball and beyond.”
The pair also plans to produce sports betting broadcasts that will appear on MLB TV.
With the announcement, the sportsbook is offering its users the opportunity to win two free-to-play pools for this year’s Home Run Derby, a prize worth a total of $50,000.
The new features of this deal will launch at the same event, with the new broadcast and advertising opportunities being rolled out for the Home Run Derby.
“For nearly a decade, our growing relationship with DraftKings has been rooted in fan engagement and the second-screen immersion of sports gaming and entertainment products,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB executive vice president, business development.
“This next iteration of unique and experiential offerings is something we look forward to rolling out together as baseball fans continue to embrace technological advances.”
