ESPN, DraftKings reach daily fantasy deal

DraftKings and ESPN reached agreement on a multi-year deal allowing the sports betting company to become a co-exclusive sportsbook link-out provider and exclusive daily fantasy football provider.

ESPN also reached a multi-year deal with Caesars Entertainment to expand the latter’s deal as exclusive odds provider.

Per the agreement with DraftKings, links across ESPN digital platforms with connect fans to DraftKings’ products and services. Also, DraftKings will provide daily segments on ESPN studio shows.

“ESPN helped revolutionize the 24/7 sports news cycle and continues to be the go-to source for many fans today on the latest and largest sports stories,” said Jason Robins, chairman and CEO of DraftKings. “We look forward to this collaboration to exclusively showcase DraftKings’ daily fantasy content and offerings while also advancing further visibility and mainstream adoption of our regulated sports betting products.”

ESPN’s deal with Caesars includes Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill becoming a sponsor of ESPN’s fantasy products.

The two new deals help strengthen ESPN’s portfolio in gaming and fantasy sports.

“Our new agreements with Caesars and DraftKings collectively represent the next significant milestone for ESPN to diversify our exposure and deepen our commitment in the sports betting space,” said Mike Morrison, ESPN’s vice president of business development & innovation. “We began growing the experience through content, followed by odds utilizing William Hill’s sports betting data and a new state-of-the-art studio facility in Las Vegas through our deal with Caesars, and now with the addition of DraftKings, we are bringing together the sports media leader with two of the top brands and best products in the segment.”

–Field Level Media