Genius Sports has struck an agreement with the NFL to extend its strategic partnership until the end of the 2027/28 season.
The extension means that Genius will remain the NFL’s exclusive data rights holder, enabling it to distribute real-time, official stats to betting operators globally. Furthermore, it will also be able to continue to be the official sports betting data feed holder, equipping it with the Next Gen Stats package.
Currently, Genius provides 98% of the US sports betting industry with official NFL data, while the NGS feed has become embedded into NFL broadcasts nationwide using Genius subsidiary’s Second Spectrum real-time augmentation engine.
The NFL first selected Genius Sports to be its official data and streaming partner back in 2021 and since then, the two organizations claim to have “set a new standard for data-driven fan engagement”.
“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, Business Development & Strategic Investments for the NFL.
“We’re excited to extend our relationship with Genius and look forward to working with them to develop the next generation of NFL fans.”
On top of extending the data rights agreement, Genius will also continue to distribute official NFL live streams to international sportsbooks.
Under the extended agreement, the “Watch & Bet” function will include the US and Canada. This agreement is a multi-year partnership that allows NFL fans to watch games within sportsbook apps, as the NFL seeks to build upon its dominant position as an entertainment product in North America.
Consequently, the sports tech and data provider will use its machine learning capabilities to “power enhanced viewing experiences for NFL fans”, as well as further develop its augmented live video betting products.
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the NFL for five further seasons from today, through Super Bowl LXII,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports.
“In just two years, the NFL and Genius Sports have set a new standard for data-driven fan engagement, and we look forward to powering immersive experiences for NFL fans, broadcasters, teams, sportsbooks, brands and more.
“Also, Genius Sports will continue to help safeguard the integrity of all NFL games, which is critically important to the NFL, by continuing to provide our 24/7 bet monitoring services.”
This deal has been penned at a critical time for operators in the NFL calendar, with marketing strategies and product launches surely in major planning stages ahead of campaign launches in late July and August.
Often labeled as one of the most important times in the sports betting year, the NFL launch provides operators with a critical opportunity to acquire new customers.
With Genius and NFL re-upping their deal in a timely manner, there is plenty of time for the firm to distribute its product to new operators ahead of the new season.
