More and more football fans could be logging into sports betting sites this fall to wager and watch live NFL action.
The National Football League (NFL) and data and technology company Genius Sports Ltd. announced Thursday an extension of their strategic partnership through the end of the 2027-28 season.
While Genius is relied upon to provide real-time data about NFL games to sportsbooks and broadcasters, last year it began providing the capability for U.S.-based bookmakers to stream NFL games on their apps and sites, starting with Caesars Sportsbook.
The extended partnership ensures Genius has the exclusive right to distribute “official NFL Watch & Bet low latency live game video feeds” to sportsbooks around the world. And, starting with the 2023-24 season, the company and the league now have a multi-year deal in place for distribution in the U.S. and Canada.
“Genius Sports will leverage its machine learning and live streaming technologies to power enhanced viewing experiences for NFL fans through Watch & Bet, and the development of its augmented live video betting products,” the company said in a press release.
Get your data here
London-based Genius remains the NFL's exclusive distributor of official statistics, Next Gen Stats, and legal sports betting data to bookmakers and media companies. In general, then, the extended alliance cements Genius’ status as a key cog in the NFL betting machine (although the cost of official data has irked some sportsbook operators).
“The expansion of this partnership follows the successful launch and integration of official NFL data throughout the sports betting, media and broadcast ecosystem, redefining the way fans engage with the NFL,” the release stated. “Today, Genius Sports powers over 98% of the legalized U.S. sports betting market with official NFL data, driving innovations such as player props, micro-betting, same-game parlays and personalized data-driven advertising content.”
Keeping watch
The NFL is already one of the largest shareholders of Genius Sports as a result of equity awarded to the league through its partnership with the company.
Notably, though, Thursday’s announcement means Genius will continue to provide integrity monitoring services for all NFL games, no small thing given the recent rash of gambling-related suspensions handed down by the league. Genius offers "around-the-clock monitoring of betting markets," among other things, to its clients.
“Since our partnership began in 2021, Genius Sports has been an integral part of taking our official data feeds to market and working with sportsbooks to develop new ways for fans to engage with the NFL,” said Brent Lawton, vice president of business development and strategic investments for the NFL, in the release. “We’re excited to extend our relationship with Genius and look forward to working with them to develop the next generation of NFL fans.”
