Here we go, FanDuel, here we go!
In a press release Friday, FanDuel announced an exclusive partnership with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. That agreement makes FanDuel the official daily fantasy partner of the team.
In the near future, the Steelers will prominently feature FanDuel at Heinz Field and provide access to a number of marketing assets, ranging from LED and scoreboard video signage to radio, television, and digital advertising.
“We’re excited to bring FanDuel into the fold as our official daily fantasy partner,” said Steelers’ vice president of sales and marketing Ryan Huzjak. “We think Steelers’ fans will enjoy the FanDuel platform and the opportunity to compete for unique Steelers prizes.”
DraftKings is the NFL’s official DFS partner
The announcement continues an arms race of sorts between FanDuel and DraftKings for brand placement and recognition across the pro sports landscape. Last month, the NFL and DraftKings announced a partnership that made DraftKings the official daily fantasy provider of the entire league. However, that arrangement has not prevented individual teams from securing their partnerships. And with the Steelers, FanDuel landed one of the NFL’s most recognizable names.
“We truly admire the historical franchise the Steelers have built, and Pittsburgh is an incredible sports town,” said FanDuel CEO Matt King. “Our Pennsylvania customers love their teams and their players, and by partnering with the Steelers, we’ll further deliver on our promise to further engage fans and meaningfully grow our brand.”
The partnership with FanDuel and the Steelers will last throughout the 2019-20 season. According to Legal Sports Report, the NFL has encouraged teams to sign only short-term deals with their fantasy partners.
Partnership with FanDuel will include Steelers experiences
In conjunction with the marketing agreement, FanDuel plans to offer some unique Steelers-themed experiences for its customers. One of them is a fantasy camp at Heinz Field, the team’s home stadium. More information on that event is expected in the weeks ahead.
FanDuel is Pennsylvania’s leader in online betting
Although sports wagering and daily fantasy sports are somewhat different, FanDuel is nonetheless the state’s leader in sports betting. In September, FanDuel led all of the state’s online sportsbooks with 54% of the online betting handle.
In total, FanDuel had more than $85 million in online betting handle last month, which brought in more than $4.7 million in revenue.
However, this deal with the Steelers technically has nothing to do with the sportsbook wing of the brand. Of course, getting the FanDuel brand all over Heinz Field is certainly going to benefit both the DFS site and the PA sportsbook.
DraftKings hoping to close the gap
Thanks to its partnership with Meadows Casino in Washington, DraftKings is also establishing a presence in the state. A DraftKings-branded sportsbook opened in the casino this month. The DraftKings app should arrive within a few weeks. But it’s pretty clear that DraftKings is playing from behind.
For now, FanDuel is far ahead.
And the new partnership with the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers is just padding that lead.
