Bleacher Report Betting App
DraftKings revealed Tuesday morning that the sports betting operator is partnering with Bleacher Report to host a proprietary Super Bowl prop bet reveal show on the Bleacher Report app. Get the latest NFL Betting Guide news, photos, rankings, lists and more on Bleacher Report.
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Most sports media companies are in a downward spiral without live sports, but Bleacher Report has bucked the trend. In May, the broadcaster topped more than 1 billion video views for the third consecutive month across its social media channels, according to CEO Howard Mittman. To build on this momentum, Bleacher Report is testing new live video formats in its app.
The first test came last month when Bleacher Report produced 12 hours of live coverage for the NFL Draft over three days.
Hosts Adam Lefkoe, Matt Miller and Connor Rogers provided live commentary and analysis from their homes. In total, the live-streams generated 12 million video plays in the app, which is four times more video views than its video coverage of the draft in 2019, according to Mittman.
While there were always plans to live-stream more content into the app, Bleacher Report hadn’t planned to do it so soon. In fact, it had not long finished 1,500-sq.-ft. studio space in its Manhattan office dedicated to the football sector. The closure of the office during New York’s lockdown, however, rendered the studio useless and forced Bleacher Report to fast track those live-streaming plans it had been quietly developing.
The switch squeezed the production from two studios staff staffed by more than 70 people into one that was entirely remote and run from video director of technical operation Steve Pellegrino’s apartment in Queens, New York where he orchestrated the production to more than 20 behind-the-scenes crew members.
“In 2020, there’s no shortage of places to watch live video but what we’re doing provides a companion experience for a broader and sometimes complementary experience to what modern sports fans need from a live broadcast,” said Mittman. “When live sports return it’s going to help not hurt the momentum we’ve built in recent months because we’re the only sports media company that has the rights with major leagues like the NFL and the NBA but we also have content that allows us to be relevant to fans without match highlights.”
The live-stream represents one of two separate strands of content Bleacher Report wants to build its live-stream strategy around: the first is content around tentpole events in sports like the NFL Draft: the second is original content that riffs on more lifestyle and entertainment cornerstones of sports and athletes such as its ‘Run It Back’ show where NBA players watch a series of games.
The latest test ran over the weekend ahead of a charity golf match featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The hour-long pre-show to the event was hosted by Bleacher Report presenters Adam Lefkoe and Kelly Stewart, who asked fans to share their predictions for the match and participate in talent challenges for a series of $1,000 giveaways.
The show also featured betting information provided by DraftKings in the build-up to the match as Bleacher Report continues its push into sports gambling that has already seen it agree to develop studio shows from Caesars Casinos in Las Vegas. Betting drives people to the Bleacher Report app. Its users spent 13% longer in betting streams from the last quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020 than they did over the same period a year earlier, per Bleacher Report.
“In the absence of people being able to go to physical casinos and to bet on sports what can you do to monetize that if you’re the financial guys at Turner Broadcasting or Time Warner? It’s going to be through the app,” said Brad Rees, CEO of sports research company Mediacells. “Part of the reason for these live-streams is driven subscription-based financial models that marry online betting with video on demand.”
The tests come as Bleacher Report plans to fold its over-the-top B/R Live platform, which live-streamed sports matches, into its main app. While the B/R Live service still exists separately, its owner has said it plans to use it to bolster the direct-to-consumer offering from Blecher Report’s main app.
BOSTON, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the 2020-2021 NFL season on the verge of its climactic close, Bleacher Report and DraftKings will provide football fans with an exclusive first glimpse at DraftKings’ proprietary Super Bowl prop bets in a new reveal show streamed live on the Bleacher Report app.
B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal is an original concept show featuring experts and celebrity guests, interactive segments, fan giveaways and a reveal of the most talked-about bets for the Big Game. Fans can tune in Monday, Jan. 25 at 6 pm ET—within 24 hours of the determination of the NFL conference championships– to watch live.
The show will air simultaneously on the B/R mobile app, B/R YouTube and Twitter channels. Viewers on the B/R app will be able to follow along and participate with their own takes for a chance to win special giveaways.
Bleacher Report Betting Odds
B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal will be hosted by Bleacher Report’s Cabbie Richards and Greg Ivory and feature top experts sharing insights on betting associated with the Big Game, including B/R Betting’s Kelly Stewart and DraftKings' Head of Sportsbook Johnny Avello alongside celebrity guest Chad Ochocinco. The show will feature 40 different props across five categories with special appearances by celebrity influencers.
The show’s creation stems from a multi-year agreement between DraftKings and Turner Sports which made the digital sports entertainment and gaming company the exclusive sportsbook and daily fantasy sports provider for select Turner Sports and Bleacher Report properties, excluding NBA programming.
“So much has changed for DraftKings over the years, but the Super Bowl is always an iconic sports moment where we continue to scale with new offerings and experiences like this reveal show alongside Bleacher Report,” said Matt Kalish, co-founder and president of DraftKings North America. “Prop betting is already a popular product for the NFL championship and appeals to all types of fans, so showcasing these markets within the Bleacher Report network for the first time helps enhance our offerings in 2021.”
According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated 26 million Americans wagered nearly $7 billion on Super Bowl LIV.
Bleacher Report has also seen significant engagement in its sports betting and football-related content. Over the course of the season, B/R Betting – B/R’s sports betting vertical – was the most engaged and most viewed social media account devoted to sports betting. In the final weeks of last year’s football season, B/R marked a 46% increase in engagements across its channels, with 23 million fans visiting the B/R site and app.
“Super Bowl prop bets fuel a massive amount of the cultural conversation around the game, expanding the narrative for the biggest sporting event of the year. It’s exactly that type of off-the-field content that Bleacher Report does best and our audience craves. Our show will tap into this conversation, providing fans with a special event before the main event,” said Joe Yanarella, GM of B/R Betting.
B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal will launch and highlight an assortment of offers from several categories, including Quick Hitters, Player Props, Exotic Props, Over Unders and Yes-No Props. In total, DraftKings will be offering over 200 different prop bets for the Big Game. Additionally, fans everywhere will be able to enter the $55 Million Super Bowl Prediction Challenge, a free to play pool with fans instantly unlocking a random reward between $3 in prizes and $25K with $1 million awarded to the winner of the pool.
For more information on DraftKings, visit www.draftkings.com or download the mobile apps via iOS and Android.
Additional details on Bleacher Report and the upcoming reveal show are available at www.bleacherreport.com or via the B/R mobile app.
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About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirits of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for 50+ operators across more than 15 regulated U.S. and global markets, including Arkansas and Oregon in the U.S. DraftKings’ Sportsbook offers mobile and retail betting for major U.S. and international sports and operates in the United States pursuant to regulations in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 8 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is the official daily fantasy partner of the NFL, MLB and the PGA TOUR as well as an authorized gaming operator of the NBA and MLB and an official betting operator of the PGA TOUR.
About Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report is a leading sports media brand reaching more than 200 million hyper-connected young sports fans each month through distribution of premium content. It is the #1 sports brand driving engagement and video views across all social platforms and the Bleacher Report app, while fueling offline engagement through unparalleled experiences that blend sports with culture. Bleacher Report has a portfolio of brands that includes House of Highlights, B/R Football, B/R Kicks, B/R Gridiron and B/R Betting, delivering customized content that caters to the unique passions of its fans across its owned and operated channels and world-leading social platforms. Bleacher Report is a division of Turner Sports, which provides it access to premium live content from the NBA, Major League Baseball, and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Find Bleacher Report on the industry-leading Bleacher Report app, www.bleacherreport.com and on Instagram @BleacherReport.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Media Contacts
Brian Reinert, Bleacher Report, 646.226.1709, brian.reinert@bleacherreport.com
media@draftkings.com
@DraftKingsNews