Chris Sheffield’s Post

A new account linking feature at #ESPN BET has received high marks for sophistication, but will it spur considerable market share gains? With the next incarnation, ESPN plans to add an element of personalization. Let’s say you have Saquon Barkley on your fantasy team in a weekly matchup against Derrick Henry. But if the Ravens are not scheduled to play until Monday night, fantasy players will have to wait all weekend on the result. Down the road, ESPN BET may design a slew of dynamic parlays based on your fantasy rosters. One option includes an automated parlay that contains your starters. Alternatively, you may be given the option to bet on the players you’re rooting against as a hedge for the fantasy matchup. As ESPN considers the implementation of personalized episodes of Sportscenter, carrots such as game passes for customers who wager on the contest may help with cross-pollination efforts. My latest in #Forbes SportsMoney. With comments from Mike Morrison and Aaron LaBerge. https://lnkd.in/eC5j4_Ma #sportsbetting #sportsbiz #gambling

As Frank Sinatra famously sang of New York: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Executives at ESPN and PENN Entertainment, Inc hope that's true of #ESPNBet, which will debut in the Big Apple any day now. ESPN sees sports betting as a major growth area as it hedges against the steady decline of the pay-TV bundle. The company hopes its massive audience will choose ESPN Bet over its rivals in a cutthroat market. However, industry analysts say ESPN Bet faces long odds. It's probably too late to truly challenge leading services like FanDuel and DraftKings Inc., and even landing a bronze medal will be difficult. "There are both entrenched operators like BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino who aren't going to let Penn pass them by without a fight," industry veteran Chris Grove told me recently. "And then there are also emerging and ascendant brands who arguably are as well positioned — if not better positioned — than Penn to claim that third-place prize." Read my latest reporting for Business Insider here: https://lnkd.in/gf5JKi4e

PENN Entertainment, Inc has announced that ESPN Bet will soon be seamlessly integrated into the ESPN and theScore apps across North America. This development means users will be able to track their bets, including all legs of parlays, live within these popular media platforms. The integration also includes personalized betting offers, real-time odds updates, and various wagering options, all designed to enhance the overall user experience. https://lnkd.in/eDWnHXrj Personalization is becoming increasingly important for betting platforms to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. If you're looking to elevate your sports betting platform, check out my recent article where I discuss strategies for creating a standout user experience: https://lnkd.in/eWXPqMkJ #DataArt #DataArtMedia #sportsbetting #bettingnews #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz 

ESPN made a splash last year with its much-awaited foray into sports betting, but its app's recent struggles show the long, hard road that faces any brand hoping to catch up to industry leaders FanDuel and DraftKings. The future of Penn and ESPN's sports-betting app is now uncertain amid a weak early showing and an investor push. Despite initial gains, ESPN Bet's market share and revenue have fallen short of targets. And its app experience isn't keeping up with competitors. For Business Insider, Tiara White and I unpack the challenges facing ESPN Bet and how it could make a comeback this football season: https://lnkd.in/earEh2Km

✅🖥️ CNBC (9/1): “Due in large part to Peacock, 23.5B minutes of the Olympics were streamed, up 40% from all prior Summer and Winter Olympics combined, according to a release. “Peacock delivered in every way that we hadn't before," said NBCU. Besides having all live coverage, exclusive shows like "Gold Zone," hosted by Scott Hanson of "NFL Red Zone," gave fans more options for all-day viewing. There were also features built solely for the Olympics, such as an artificial intelligence function featuring daily recaps in the voice of Al Michaels, a longtime voice of marquee NFL games. An estimated 2.8MM consumers signed up for Peacock during the first week of the Summer Games, averaging nearly 400K additions daily, according to data provider Antenna. This nearly matched the sign ups driven by Peacock's exclusive NFL Wild Card game in January, according to Antenna. The game is considered the most streamed live event in history with 27.6MM viewers, according to Nielsen. While Comcast recently reported Peacock had 33MM paid customers as of June 30 — 500K less than the prior period, and widely attributed to the loss of customers exiting after the NFL Wild Card game —analyst MoffettNathanson said it's worth noting the customers that remained since the NFL Wild Card game.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #olympics #ctv #areyoudownwithott #avod https://lnkd.in/e6Z-x9EA

ESPN focuses on its direct-to-consumer flagship product, even as Venu Sports faces a legal setback that delays its launch. Fubo’s successful block of Venu until at least 2025 has caused ripples across the industry, but ESPN and Disney are keeping their eyes on their priorities. Venu’s potential impact might be more significant for Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, with ESPN viewing it as a small part of a broader strategy. With the industry's evolving landscape, ESPN will likely weigh its options as the appeals process unfolds. Meanwhile, Fox relies on backend tech from Venu, and WBD faces challenges after losing NBA rights. The future of Venu remains uncertain, with a high subscription price and limited content potentially hindering its prospects. #ESPN #VenuSports #SportsMedia #SportsRights

✅🖥️ DIGIDAY (9/20): “The NFL overhauled its app ahead of the season’s kickoff last week, placing its ad-free RedZone streaming service at the center of its NFL+ premium customer offering. At the same time, European soccer leagues including France’s Ligue 1 and Italy’s Serie A have pushed forward with their streaming efforts, with the former’s games now shown online only in the crucial U.K. and Ireland market. Sports organizations know that demand for these services stems, in part, from the complexity (and cost) consumers face when trying to view every televised match their team takes part in. NBA games, for example, are set to be split across four different media providers, while English Premier League fans would have to subscribe to Sky Sports, TNT Sport and Amazon Prime Video to follow their club’s season in its entirety. RedZone is priced lower than cable or streaming packages — $35.99 a year, compared to $59.99 for CBS and Peacock, for example — and has been available through the NFL+ subscription package as a standalone streaming service since 2023. It’s now the centerpiece of the NFL’s digital app, and a major component of the NFL’s attempt to answer that consumer demand for simplicity. The service itself is simple enough — a subscription simulcast that pulls from CBS and Fox’s live Sunday coverage, bouncing between games with no breaks and no ads (though, there is room for advertisers around the edges — DraftKings, for example, currently sponsors RedZone). The result, said Lauren Manning, the NFL’s head of product design, UX and research, is “one of the best kind of lean-back ways to watch football of any variety, on any device.” ⬇️🏈⚽️ #streaming #ctv #ott #avod #svod #tvos #cordcutting

ESPN Bet-operator PENN Entertainment, Inc is struggling to parlay its branding partnership with the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports" into profits. Sports bettors flocked to ESPN Bet when it launched six months ago today in mid-November. The sportsbook made up 8.1% of the market in its first month, which easily exceeded expectations. That early momentum has evaporated. ESPN Bet's market share in online-sports betting in March was 3.7%, which was actually up from a ghastly 2.5% in January, according to Bank of America. Just how much trouble is ESPN Bet in? Penn CEO Jay Snowden may have already shared the answer: "We're not doing this deal to be 4% or 5% market share players," Snowden said on the company's earnings call last August. "That's not going to be acceptable for us. It's not going to be acceptable for ESPN. And so you should assume if those are the ranges you're in, that's not going to work out long term." Check out my full story for Business Insider here: https://lnkd.in/eU8Ar7Hs

Amazon scores slam dunk - an 11-year NBA deal  https://lnkd.in/dW5aMqDM Bloomberg reported that Amazon is paying $1.8 billion annually for the NBA rights. The 11-year deal begins with the 2025-26 NBA season and will include exclusive streaming rights to 66 regular season games, as well as playoff games. The deal is a huge addition to Amazon’s growing sports streaming catalog, which already includes the NFL’s Thursday Night Football and live action from several other leagues and teams. As more people cut the cord, sports leagues are increasingly engaging with tech companies as their existing deals with traditional cable providers expire. Those companies are hungry for valuable content such as live sports — one of the most-watched telecasts — to draw more subscribers to their respective platforms.

Do you know that Comcast is now involved in sports betting with DraftKings? Xfinity Odds Zone debuted for THE PLAYERS® Championship on March 12th. "Comcast is making it easier for subscribers to place bets on live sports events by teaming up with sports betting group DraftKings to present odds from the latter direct on TV during lives sports games and events. Xfinity Odds Zone on X1 is being presented as an on-screen companion experience, making it quick and easy for customers to find betting information and initiate wagers on the DraftKings Sportsbook app." Learn more in this Digital TV Europe article. #Comcast #XFinity #comcastbusiness #iworkforcomcast