Basketball fans who watch NBA and WNBA games live on Prime Video will be able to opt in to see FanDuel live odds and other betting features during broadcasts starting this season.
Flutter unveiled a new multi-year partnership with Amazon on Tuesday that makes its U.S. market-leading sportsbook the official odds provider for both leagues on the streaming platform.
Users can link their Prime Video profile to an existing FanDuel account and opt into the feature, activating a personalized betting integration that displays the status of active wagers on screen during their livestream, updating in real-time. In addtion to pre-existing bets, the Odds View overlay on supported devices will show a rotating feed of live odds and probabilities for betting markets such as moneylines, spreads, totals, game and player props, and parlays.
Flutter specified that the new optional integration will not offer the ability to place bets directly on Prime Video.
Partners frame feature as storytelling
FanDuel President of Sports Mike Raffensperger said the partnership is a significant milestone in how the sportsbook connects with its existing customers who bet on basketball, as well as providing it with added visibility to new audiences.
The operator presented the offering as an immersive way to not only follow bets but also to contextualize how team and player performances match up with real-time betting markets. Meanwhile, Amazon and Prime framed it as a new form of storytelling for basketball viewers.
“Since Day 1, we’ve challenged ourselves to invent features that heighten, customize and add storytelling elements for fans within the live sports experience,” said Prime Video’s Head of U.S. and Global Sports and Advertising Jay Marine.
“By prioritizing innovation and storytelling, we can create unique opportunities for brands to connect with their audiences that are more meaningful,” added Danielle Carney, head of U.S. video and live sports sales at Amazon Ads.
Six-time NBA All-Star and NBA on Prime analyst Blake Griffin will serve as an ambassador for FanDuel’s NBA offering as part of the partnership, and will be featured across FanDuel’s creative campaigns, on-air integrations, social media and live events.
Via the collaboration, NBA on Prime will also offer viewers a route to access the regional FanDuel Sports Network, as well as NBA League Pass.
This season marks the first in an 11-year partnership between the NBA and Amazon. The first broadcast is set for Oct. 24 and will feature a doubleheader of the Boston Celtics taking on the New York Knicks, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves battling the Los Angeles Lakers.
Opt-in betting features becoming part and parcel
The new partnership is another major step in the increasingly close ties between sports broadcasting and live betting.
Last year, NBA’s data partner Sportradar added a betting functionality within the NBA League Pass streaming platform via an emBET integration that allows fans to track odds and market changes and select bets from the league’s partner sportsbooks.
ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, which launched ahead of this year’s NFL season, includes an opt-in viewing experience that displays live bets made via ESPN Bet and relevant ESPN fantasy stats. That came after ESPN Bet co-parent PENN Entertainment teamed up with the PGA TOUR in January to bring a live betting stream to PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+. Other examples include BetMGM’s live odds being available in Monumental+ streams of Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals games.
FanDuel’s hookup with Prime Video comes the day after NBCUniversal entered into a multi-year advertising deal with DraftKings. That announcement did not specify that live odds would be available in a similar fashion to the FanDuel/Prime deal, but DraftKings Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Sherman did note that it would “augment our industry-leading live betting capabilities.”
