The NFL continued its push into the sports betting space, choosing UK-based Genius Sports as the exclusive distributor of NFL data to sportsbook.
The deal is worth $120 million annually for six years, according to the Sports Business Journal.
Genius Sports unseats Sportradar, who had been paying the NFL $20 million annually in the previous deal. Genius will distribute official real-time play-by-play and the NFL’s Next Gen Stats and will work with the NFL to develop technology to innovate its data feed and products as part of the deal.
In choosing Genius Sports, NFL chief strategy and growth officer Chris Halpin said: “They recognize the opportunity, given how big our fan base and given what a great sport it is to bet on, particularly in a live betting environment, how much innovation can be driven. And the multiplier effects on in-game betting that can happen.”
According to Sports Business Journal, half the deal will be paid through Genius equity, similar to the deal the NFL had with Sportradar, giving them a piece of both global data companies.
The deal to distribute sports betting data continues the NFL’s acceptance of legalized sports betting after decades of staunch opposition. In the last 18 months, the NFL has made sponsorship deals with sportsbooks, added language in the latest CBA on shared revenue generated “by the operation of gambling-related businesses” and saw one of its franchises move to Las Vegas.
Sports betting is now legal in over 20 U.S. states and continues to be part of data and media negotiations in all major domestic leagues.