While looking to emulate the overall successes of fantasy sports operators FanDuel and DraftKings in sports betting, a ‘historic partnership’ has been created within two of the industries biggest giants, Yahoo Sports and MGM Resorts.
The deal can be viewed as a huge affiliate partnership with the Yahoo Sports app featuring embedded links along with several calls to action for BetMGM.com in states where sports betting is deemed legal.
It will not only be elevating engagement for Yahoo Sports, but the media and fantasy sports entity will also see benefits through the monetisation of the traffic it sends to BetMGM.com.
Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International said: “This partnership marks an important moment for BetMGM in the growing U.S. sports betting sector. Integrating Yahoo’s leading fantasy sports operations and content with BetMGM’s world-class sports betting and interactive platform uniquely positions us to drive market share and large-scale adoption among sports fans.”
Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media praised the collaboration, stating: “The historic partnership with Yahoo Sports and BetMGM will change the future of fandom, providing new ways for sports fans to go beyond engaging with content and interact through commerce. At Verizon Media we believe in building products that connect consumers to their passions and drive the deepest end-to-end value possible.”
The joint venture between the industry powerhouses will offer a number of unique sporting experiences, which will feature sports such as, the NBA, NHL, football, college sports, baseball, soccer, golf and tennis.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver added: “As sports betting continues to transform the industry, this partnership brings together the power of two trusted partners of the NBA. By working together, MGM Resorts and Yahoo Sports will offer fans unprecedented ways to engage with our games.”
This announcement has added to Verizon Media’s core strategy to connect content and discovery to transaction and is also a natural extension of Yahoo Sports’ mission to reimagine sports for fans with unprecedented experiences.
The multi-year partnership will also see the integration launch on the Yahoo Sports app in November in the U.S., with transactions to take place on the BetMGM platform. Yahoo Sports will be an official Digital Media Sports Partner of MGM Resorts.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added: “The expanding sports betting landscape presents exciting opportunities to increase fan engagement and leverage emerging technologies,” said”MGM Resorts, a valued partner of the NHL, along with Yahoo, a leading media brand, will connect fans to the action on the ice in new and innovative ways.”
Included within the partnership, MGM Resorts and Yahoo Sports will also be collaborating on an array of content experiences, exclusive live events, and more than 20 high profile major sporting and promotional marketing efforts.
As well as this, they will also be distributing Yahoo Sports content across its properties and platforms. Yahoo Sports will also be hosting multiple player events at MGM Resorts properties.
Roar Digital CEO, Adam Greenblatt concluded: “This is an exciting partnership for the BetMGM brand and Roar Digital, helping us reach the widest possible audience of engaged sports fans in the U.S. The Yahoo Sports app and digital sports content is enjoyed by 60 million U.S. users every month, while Yahoo Fantasy Football clocks 9 billion minutes of user time every year. Together we offer fans a winning combination.”
