Marquee Sports Network, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs, said it will steam a gambling-focused alternative telecast of Saturday’s Cubs-Reds Game that will be presented by Draft Kings.

The telecast will be available exclusively on Marquee Plus, a streaming channel available via the Marquee Sports Network App.

Matt Spiegel and Danny Parkins of WSCR-AM The Score radio and Lance Brozdowski of Marquee will host the telecast, which will analyze game action through a sports betting lens.

Sinclair's Bally Sports branded networks have been rolling out apps that offer a number of activities, some including streaming game telecasts.

Also: Bally Sports Plus Readies Monday National Rollout Amid Fire Sale Rumors

Marquee Sports said it is the first regional sports network to offer an alternative gaming feed for a live Major League Baseball broadcast. Networks have done betting feeds for other sports, including MSG Network's BetCasts during New York Knicks NBA games.

The feed–called Hey Bettor, Bettor, will talk about run lines, over-under bets, prop bets, pitch-by-pitch betting, explaining the ins and outs of sports gambling to viewers. The betting discussion will come during the 2nd, 4th and 6th innings.

Spiegel and Parkins promoted the telecast during their radio show on Friday.

Jon "Boog" Sciambi and Jim Deshaies will be on the call for the traditional game broadcast on Marquee Sports Network.

“We’re grateful to the Cubs and Major League Baseball for supporting this breakthrough broadcast,” said Marquee Sports Network General Manager Mike McCarthy. “We look forward to offering Cubs fans another way to engage with their favorite team.” ■

The popularity of gambling based programming -- driven by gambling-based advertising -- has MSG Networks pressing its bet on its BetCasts, which feature commentary and analysis through a sports wagering lens.

MSG, which aired two BetCast versions of New York Knicks games in February, said it will air three BetCast telecast through the end of the month, starting Friday night, when the Knicks take on the Washington Wizards.

The BetCasts appear on MSG Plus opposite the more traditional telecast on the main channel. 

The simulcasts will include a mix of sports betting talent from MSG, including Alex Monaco, host of The Bettor Half Hour, Jeff Johnson and Erik Coleman, co-hosts of The Betting Exchange, sports betting experts Alex Glaze, Adam Ronis and Sean Little, and Kazeem Famuyide, co-host of MSG PM. ■

Nexstar Media Group said it has made a deal with SportsGrid Inc. to launch SportsGrid Network, a digital broadcast channel devoted to sports wagering and fantasy sports.

SportsGrid Network will debut September 1. Nexstar will distribute it in nine markets where it has digital subchannels: San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Tampa, Florida; Portland, Oregon; Nashville, Tennessee; Norfolk, Virginia; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Des Moines, Iowa. More markets might be added in the future.

National networks and local TV outlets have been adding gambling content as sports wagering becomes legal in more states. Gambling has also become a fast-growing advertising category for local broadcasters and regional sports networks.

Nexstar said the network is the first devoted to sports gambling.

“Our nation is sports obsessed and we are delighted to deliver SportsGrid’s programming to address the rapidly growing interest in sports betting and fantasy sports,” Sean Compton, president of Nexstar Media’s networks division, said. “Distributing SportsGrid’s programming across digital subchannels in nine of our markets will enable us to connect with new audiences and continue expanding a new and fast-growing revenue stream. As the nation's No. 1 provider of content to fans of sports wagering and fantasy sports, SportsGrid is the perfect partner for this effort.”

Nexstar, one of the biggest broadcast groups with 199 TV stations, has been beefing up its digital assets. It bought The Hill, the political news platform, for $130 million. Nexstar also bought BestReviews, a digital product review site. On September 1, Nexstar will also be launching Rewind TV, a digital over-the-air network focused on classic sitcoms. ▪️

The company said it will continue to make strategic, accretive digital investments to scale its digital offerings.

At launch, SportsGrid Network will air 18 hours of exclusive live programming designed to provide real-time sports news, data analytics and statistics to viewers interested in wagering lines, point spreads and injury reports.

The shows will be hosted by a team of on-air personalities, sports and gambling experts and guest contributors.

SportsGrid is a 24-hour sports wagering and fantasy sports program service with content on broadcast and cable TV, connected smart TVs, streaming platforms and the internet.

SportsGrid's live programming originates from production facilities adjacent to Madison Square Garden in New York City and at the SG studios and production hub in New Jersey.

"Nexstar's national reach across 199 owned or operated television stations in 116 markets throughout the U.S. is a great platform for distributing our content to fantasy sports fans and gamblers everywhere," said Louis Maione, founder and president of SportsGrid.

"This initial nine-station launch of SportsGrid content will inform and entertain millions of sports fans across all screens and devices and provide them with expert reporting, commentary and analysis using our exclusive proprietary SportsGrid analytics platform," Maione said. "Finally, this agreement provides both companies the opportunity to share content and to strategically expand the network to additional Nexstar markets."

MSG Networks said it made a multi-year deal with FanDuel Group’s TVG network to bring live daily horse races to viewers in the New York area.

The move comes as the television business embraces legalized gambling.

Starting Wednesday, TVG’s Trackside Live show will be simulcast on MSG Plus Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. ET, featuring live races from tracks around the world. 

Trackside Live also features interviews and expert analysis from TVG’s on-air talent. 

FanDuel’s sports betting show More Ways to Win, hosted by Lisa Kerney, will also begin to air on MSG Networks on weekends during the NFL season.

Also Read: Sinclair’s Streaming RSNs and Warner’s CNN Plus May Be Pay TV’s Biggest Disruptors

“It’s great to partner with TVG and FanDuel to bring so many great, live horse races to fans on MSG Networks,” said Jeff Filippi, senior VP, programming and production, executive producer, MSG Networks. “Fans will see a great variety of races from more than 150 tracks around the world.”

TVG processes more than $2 billion in horse racing wagers annually from residents of 33 U.S. states. 

“We’re excited to be partnering with the MSG Networks to bring premier live racing coverage to its family of networks and its millions of viewers in the New York area,” said Amy Howe, newly appointed interim CEO of FanDuel Group. “This new agreement is part of FanDuel Group’s continuing commitment to invest in our core horse racing television programming and to expand the audience for our racetrack and horsemen partners.”

The agreement was announced a month after New York Racing Association officials said that MSG Networks would no longer broadcast the association’s simulcast programs. according to the Daily Racing Form. MSG had worked with NYRA for 30 years.

Local TV outlets have hit the jackpot as gambling becomes legalized on a state-by-state basis, according to a report from Nielsen.

Spending on online gambling advertising rose from $10.7 million in the first quarter of 2019, just after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal prohibitions, to $154 million in Q1 2021. Local TV accounts for just under 80% of online gambling ads, with the rest going mainly to national digital, network TV, outdoor and local radio. 

Also Read: Nexstar Integrates Venn.TV Gaming Content into Websites

The gains were especially good luck in the middle of a pandemic that largely stifled ad spending.

Gambling has quickly grown to be the 11th biggest spot TV ad spending category with a 2.1% share. The top spending category is legal services at 7%.

Nielsen notes that BIA Advisory Service sees gambling dropping $587 million into the local spot TV market by 2024.

The largest share of online sports betting ads appear in news programming, rather than sports programming. The reason: stations have much more control over their total ad inventory in news versus sports, which often air in primetime, Nielsen said.

The top spender in the category was FanDuel, which bought $57.7 million worth of spot TV in the first quarter. 

Other big spenders were DraftKings, BetMGM, BetRivers, Betfair and PokerStars.

“The overwhelming sea change across the sports and media industries with respect to betting ads highlights a significant growth opportunity for both local and national television,” Nielsen said.

In 2020, online/digital sports betting-related ad spend increased across 180 of the 208 designated market areas (DMAs) that Nielsen monitors. Online and digital sports betting spend in 185 DMAs exceeded $300,000, up from less than $50,000 across those same DMAs in 2017.

“So even though gambling activities are limited to select states, advertising in this category, where legal, is increasing across the overwhelming majority of the country’s 208 DMAs. And that spells opportunity for local news organizations and advertising agencies alike,” Nielsen said.

ESPN said it will air an alternative presentation of an NBA game featuring betting content and commentary for the first time on Wednesday when the Brooklyn Nets play the Philadelphia 76ers.

As legalized betting spreads from state to state, networks are figuring out how to incorporate more news about odds, point spreads and propositions into their coverage. Fantasy sports and sports books are becoming big advertisers and partners with leagues and broadcasters.

The NBA Wednesday Night presented by State Farm: Daily Wager Special will appear on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN Plus. The traditional telecast of the game will appear on ESPN.

The betting-centric version of the game will feature commentators from ESPN's Daily Wager program, including analysts Doug Kezirian, Joe Fortenbaugh and Tyler Flughum. Their material will emanate from ESPN's Las Vegas Studios. 

The special will include a 15 minute pre-game show and a dedicated half time show.

Dish Network said it reached a strategic agreement that will bring DraftKings sports book and fantasy sports to Dish customers.

The DraftKings app will be integrated into the Dish TV Hopper platform. Down the road, DraftKings will be added to Sling TV and Boost Mobile.

The move comes as more media companies form alliances with the growing legal betting industry. Sinclair Broadcast Group, for example, is rebranding its regional sports networks to reflect a deal with Bally’s. 

Dish stopped carrying Sinclair's regional sports networks, citing their high costs.

Legal gambling is dumping lost of advertising dollars into media companies. It is believed that gambling will bring higher ratings and more fan engagement, particularly to live sports games.

"The integration with DraftKings is an exciting enhancement for our customers and a great addition to the growing Dish TV Hopper platform — a one-stop entertainment hub," said Brian Neylon, group president, Dish TV. "We're thrilled to work with DraftKings to amplify the sports-fan experience, and extend the DraftKings footprint across our unique suite of services, including SWling TV and Boost Mobile, with potential applications across our 5G wireless buildout in the future."

DishTV customers with an internet-connected Hopper family receiver will be able to access the DraftKings app to view betting odds and fantasy contests. They can initiate bets or contest entries with DraftKings directly from their TV, then set recordings and watch the live sports that correspond with those bets or fantasy teams, the company said.  

When a bet or fantasy contest entry is initiated, customers will be prompted via text message through DraftKings-created technology to complete the transaction within the DraftKings app on their mobile device. Once launched, Dish TV customers can initiate bets for NCAA basketball, NBA, and NHL from the app via Hopper, with additional features to come. 

"Our deal with Dish TV and the technology behind it immerses customers within a next-generation viewership experience and reaches these fanbases in a completely new way," said Paul Liberman, president of product and technology and co-founder at DraftKings. "This is a unique opportunity for fans to watch games and engage with our real-money products while the technology also allows for further innovation ahead." 

MSG Networks said it will launch a free-to-play app in March that will offer sports fans the chance to win cash prizes during Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Sabres Games.

The app--MSG Networks Pick ‘Em--was developed with Boom Sports and is expected to be available on iOS and Android devices.

Sports programmers and regional sports networks have been launching games in order to attract younger viewers to game broadcasts and increase engagement with fans.

Also Read: Sinclair, Bally’s Rebrand Regional Sports Networks

“MSG Networks is thrilled to partner with Boom Sports on our new free-to-play app. We’ve been offering trivia and pick’em games on our MSG GO streaming app since 2018 and have seen firsthand how interactive games can help increase viewer engagement – including how long and how often they tune in,” said Peter Tulloch, senior VP, digital products and distribution, MSG Networks. “MSG Networks Pick ‘Em will further deepen our connection with viewers, providing sports fans with a fun and, potentially, rewarding way to enjoy MSG Networks’ live coverage of their favorite sports teams, while providing MSG Networks with new revenue opportunities.”

MSG Networks’ Pick ‘Em games will have a series of predictive questions rewarding fans with cash prizes for every basketball game, and for hockey games, the jackpot will be progressive. Official rules, scoring, prize and other information for MSG Networks Pick ‘Em will be available when the app launches

“We are excited to be working with MSG Networks to create an app that will enrich the viewing experience, and also offer unique value in the form of user insights and a strategic digital asset,” said Greg Viverito, VP of partnerships, Boom Sports. “We’re also a New York City-based company so we embraced the opportunity to create a product that adds to the fun of being a fan of New York sports teams.”

Sports-oriented streaming service fuboTV reported a third-quarter loss as it grew subscribers by 58%, and said it plans to move into the online sports betting business.

fuboTV also said it has made deals to launch channels with Epix and Starz.

The company's third quarter net loss was $274.1 million, or $6.20 a share,  compared to a $7.166 million, or 29 cents a share, a year ago.

The losses include a $236.7 million non-cash impairment charge for the legacy FaceBank business. FaceBank acquired fuboTV in March.

Revenue rose 47% to $61.2 million.

fuboTV said it saw an opportunity to combine a sports wagering service with its live sports streaming packages. “Our goal with wagering is to develop a new revenue stream for fuboTV, and one which we believe will be an important contributor to our business,” the company said in a letter to shareholders.

In the shareholder letter, the company said it expects the new premium Epiix and Starz channels to launch before the end of the year.

fuboTV said third quarter subscription revenue increased 64% to $53.4 million as paid subscribers at the end of the quarter rose to 455,000, up 58% from a year ago.

Advertising revenue increased 153% to $7.5 million. 

Average revenue per user per month was $67.70, up 14% and total content hours streamed by fuboTV users increased 83% to 133 million hours.

“Q3 was the strongest quarter in fuboTV’s history, exceeding targets in all of our key metrics: subscription revenue grew 64% year-over-year, ad revenue grew 153% year-over-year and we ended the quarter with an all-time high of 455,000 paid subscribers,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, fuboTV.

 “A heavy sports calendar, busy news cycle and Hollywood’s fall entertainment season delivered many viewing options for consumers," Gandler said. "We continued to grow fuboTV’s premium, personal viewing experience with the launch of new product features and new programming including Disney Media Networks (ABC, ESPN, many more), MLB Network, NBC News Now and more.”

The company raised some of its financial guidance. Fourth-quarter revenues are expected to be between $80 million and $85 million, a 51% to 60% increase year-over-year. fuboTV also expects to end the fourth quarter with 500,000-510,000 paid subscribers, an increase of 58% to 62% year-over-year.

Full year 2020 revenue is expected to be $244-248 million, an increase of over 65% year-over-year. Full year 2021 revenue is expected to be $415-435 million, an increase of over 70% year-over-year.

BetMGM will begin providing odds for boxing matches on sports streaming service Dazn in the United States.

The deal marks an expansion of Dazn’s relationship with BetMGM and will begin with the Nov. 7 WBC lightweight championship bout pitting title holder Devin “The Dream” Haney against former champ Yuriorkis Gamboa.

BetMGM will provide odds for a dozen Dazn events over the next year across Dazn’s platform and suit of channels.

“We are thrilled to go all in on sports betting and embark on an exciting new chapter with BetMGM – marking our longest-term sports betting partnership yet in the U.S.,” said Michael Mobley, VP of Media Sales in North America for Dazn. “With BetMGM in our corner as Dazn’s go-to source for betting insights, fight fans will be able to stay up to date on the latest odds and enjoy even more compelling content around boxing’s biggest events.”

BetMGM worked with Dazn last year, sponsoring a heavyweight bout between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua.

The new arrangement calls for Bet MGM branding to be prominent on Dazn live streams and boxing programming, including diffusion of the latest betting odds.

During the broadcast, live BetMGM betting tickers will appear on co-produced programming featuring Dazn talent. BetMGM will be the presenting sponsor of one round of the night’s main event. That round will highlight a special over/under wager.

Dazn will be on social media, promoting BetMGM and BetMGM subscribers will receive custom promo offers from the wagering service.

Subscribers to Dazn will also receive custom promos from BetMGM.

“Dazn has been a great partner and we couldn’t be happier for BetMGM to be the exclusive odds provider for their U.S. boxing broadcasts,” Matt Prevost, chief revenue officer, BetMGM said. “Our deep integrations, like supplying live odds during boxing’s biggest matches and offering customized promotional offers to DAZN subscribers, will provide boxing fans and bettors with entertaining and exciting opportunities to get in on the action.”

The PGA Tour said during the Golf Channel’s coverage of The CJ Cup Oct. 15-18, BetMGM will provide live betting odds to viewers.

The move is another step as legalized gambling seeps into television coverage of sports events.

BetMGM content will appear twice per hour, featuring leaderboards with open and current odds to win, along with odds for head-to-head matchups, winning margins, top finishes, holes in one and playoffs.

“We are excited to build upon our recently announced Official Betting Operator relationship with BetMGM by activating this partnership at the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek,” said Norb Gambuzza, PGA Tour senior VP, media and gaming. “The focus of our sports betting partnerships is to engage fans in new and creative ways. As an element of that strategy, we began integrating live odds onto Tour digital platforms in August and now we look forward to learning from this first-time test in a live telecast.”

The PGA signed a deal to make BetMGM an official betting operator of the PGA Tour. BetMGM offers a variety of betting options including moneyline, point spreads, parlays and futures.

BetMGM is licensed in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada and West Virginia. It plans to be in 11 stated by the end of the year.

“The PGA Tour has been a great partner for BetMGM. Being the first sports betting platform to integrate betting odds into a live PGA tour telecast speaks to the innovative nature of our partnership," said Matt Prevost, BetMGM chief marketing officer. "We look forward to continuing to move the needle and work closely with the Tour to produce great content.” 

PGA Tour Live, the PGA Tour’s OTT streaming platform, integrated live betting odds during the opening two rounds of the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 13-14. 

Sports betting has been on a fast track to mass adoption across the United States ever since the Supreme Court’s monumental 2018 ruling in Murphy v. NCAA. As soon as 2022, it is projected that 32 states could offer legal sports betting and with it, generate almost $6 billion in revenue. Even with the pandemic bringing traditional sports to a grinding halt earlier this year, betting didn’t stop. Rather, esports stepped in to fill the void.

Esports betting has ballooned since the onset of the pandemic. The sector alone is expected to reach $14 billion in gambling revenue this year; European bookmakers have already seen a 40 times increase. With traditional sports such as baseball, basketball and soccer playing again, the sports betting industry has massive opportunity ahead.

In order to capitalize on this interest, industry players must reconsider the importance of the technology that powers their streaming in order to drive betting handle, and thus bottom-line revenue. Today’s platforms are riddled with delays which leaves all parties susceptible to leaving money on the table. To solve this problem and successfully progress to the full potential of sports betting and “micro-wagering” — betting on every pitch in a baseball game, every down in a football game and so on — streaming technology must change and become a priority.

Next-Level Gamification

The opportunity to amplify the fan viewing experience has increased tenfold this year, since watching live sports in person is off the table for now. Broadcasters and sports leagues alike have the chance to create a more engaging and interactive virtual viewing experience — bringing the stadium experience into living rooms and mobile devices across the country.

These gamification elements can come from features such as Q&As, trivia games or even a chance to purchase merchandise from a team. But one of the largest categories is certainly sports betting. If leagues can provide the opportunity to bet within a game on every play without leaving the live stream, revenue opportunities will skyrocket. Bringing true in-game micro-wagering to viewers allows them to place bets not just on an entire golf tournament for, example, but on whether or not Tiger Woods will make this putt.

The PGA Tour recently announced an expanded relationship with DraftKings to include betting integration in golf events designed to drive fan engagement. The true test for these kinds of gamification features, however, is whether or not streaming services will find the sweet spot to ensure they can minimize delays and support a simultaneous influx of online viewers. Lackluster streams will not cut it for viewers who are looking forward to placing their bets and engaging with others while streaming an event.

The age of cord-cutting has led to an increased number of fans tuning in via live streams. Yet, these viewers have become accustomed to seeing a tweet or push notification about the winning touchdown before it happens on their screen. While this may lead to dissatisfaction for some fans, it can be downright devastating for bettors.

In order to incorporate successful in-play or micro-wagering betting operators must work hand-in-hand with streaming platforms to provide a synchronized, real-time stream with no delays. Accomplishing this is easier said than done. During this year’s Super Bowl, fans streaming the game experienced delays of anywhere from 45 to 55 seconds, rendering many betting opportunities moot.

The success of betting/platform integrations all circle back to the necessity of using technology that provides a real-time experience. At the end of the day, this technology will drive user engagement and have a substantial bottom-line impact.

Increasing Take With Tech

With today’s subpar streaming technology many sports leagues and betting operators are using, hundreds of millions of dollars in total wagering is being left on the table. When most “live” streams are riddled with delays, operators are forced to cut potential betting windows short, thus, less time for users to engage with the content and less time to generate revenue for all parties involved. In addition, real-time streaming removes the possibility for fraud or courtsiding because the streams are coming in too fast.

Right now, fans are able to bet on the outcome of games, and maybe on specific outcomes of quarters, halves or innings, but true micro-wagering is not possible. This kind of instantaneous action is even more important in fast-paced events such as esports. For example, no fan is going to be comfortable placing a bet on the outcome of a FIFA livestream if their stream is 20 or even sometimes 60 seconds behind a fan elsewhere. The popularity of legalized sports betting across the country is the meta-level of a real-time streaming requirement, with tangible consumer dollars on the line.

The “old normal” of live sports doesn’t look like it will be back for a while, as in-person viewing is not going to be plausible for the foreseeable future. Even if games start allowing fans, many viewers will be tuning in from the comfort of their own home rather than an arena. Ultimately, all parties involved must take a hard look at the technology being used and consider how it’s holding the betting and sports streaming industries back from maximum success.

If streaming platforms can provide a synchronized real-time stream to masses of people, the potential of legalized sports betting in the U.S. could be realized.

Jed Corenthal is chief marketing officer at Phenix, a Chicago-based streaming technology company.

Showtime Friday released the official trailer for its sports gambling documentary series Action, which debuts March 24.

The four-part series explores the legalization of sports gambling and its evolving impact on the industry following the 2018 Supreme Court decision to lift a ban on sports betting, said Showtime. The character-driven narrative delivers intimate access to a diverse cross-section of the sports gaming community and documents the effects of legalization through their prisms.

Action is executive produced by Luke Korem as well as Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, David Check and Jordan Wynn.