Zona de Azar USA – FanDuel to Create 24/7 Sports Betting Network Through Rebranded TVG
USA.- July 25th 2022 www.zonadeazar.com FanDuel is aiming to rebrand its TVG racing channel to FanDuel TV as part of a plan to create the first ‘watch and wager’ TV network in the US, including a potential big-name acquisition in former NFL Network host Kay Adams.
The rebrand is provisionally planned for September 2022, according to documents shared with FanDuel staff this week and reviewed by LSR. Under the plan:
TVG would become FanDuel TV
TVG2 would become FanDuel Racing
The TVG OTT app would become FanDuel +
The TVG horse betting app and site itself would remain unchanged.
Potential FanDuel programming plans
The rebrand would see a slight shift away from horse racing on the flagship TVG channel. Instead, morning programming would focus on FanDuel talent and sports betting.
A typical day’s programming would look something like :
5 am-6 am: More Ways To Win (NBA content)
6 am-7 am: Bill Simmons & The Ringer
7 am-8 am: Former Good Morning Football host Kay Adams hosting a new SportsCenter-style show
8 am-9 am: Pat McAfee
9 am-9 pm: Live racing with cut-ins and sports updates from FanDuel talent
The documents reviewed by LSR clearly indicated Adams as the intended host of the 7 am hour, although no deal between her and FanDuel has been announced yet.
More betting opportunities
The overnight slot would be filled with “tertiary” sports with watch & wager rights, such as Korean football, pickleball and Chinese basketball.
A source noted many of the contracts for the talent and betting rights were as-yet unsigned, meaning plans were still provisional.
A FanDuel spokesperson said nothing was imminent and there were still “lots of moving parts.”
Revised FanDuel plan for content
The planned switch comes alongside a strategic reshuffle at the company. The operator announced Wednesday that current CMO Mike Raffensperger had been appointed to the newly-created position of chief commercial officer.
In that role, he will assume oversight for FanDuel’s content and programming assets, including TVG.
A statement credited Raffensperger with signing talent like McAfee, and helping to deliver “far superior unit economic performance” from marketing compared to rivals.
Sports media giant
The rebrand also continues FanDuel’s evolution into a sports media company.
Back in May 2021, Raffensperger told Front Office Sports the sportsbooks already saw itself as a sports media company thanks to its deals with SportsGrid, McAfee, The Ringer, Turner Sports and others.
Competitors have also sought to boost their media output. DraftKings acquired sports-gambling network VSIN in 2021 and has invested in content platform Meadowlark Media.
Just last month, DraftKings and Meadowlark rolled out four new podcast shows. Similarly, Caesars recently announced a deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions to launch an audio production network and a series of digital shorts.
TVG background
FanDuel parent company Flutter acquired TVG for $50 million back in 2009.
TVG is the number one horse racing broadcaster in the US, reaching 60+ million homes through its TVG and TVG2 television channels. The racing betting platform is live in more than 30 states.
Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com
