Weeks after Disney/ESPN reached an
advertising and equity agreement with daily fantasy site DraftKings worth hundreds of millions of dollars, rival FanDuel
today will announce that it has signed exclusive, multiyear partnerships with 15 NFL teams -- the Bengals, Bills, Browns, Buccaneers, Chargers, Colts, Eagles, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Rams, Ravens, Redskins and Texans. Since Yahoo has an exclusive deal with the 49ers and three NFL teams are located in states where paid fantasy games are illegal (Arizona, Louisiana, and Washington), that means FanDuel has 15 of the 28 eligible clubs locked up. The NFL last Friday released to its teams new marketing regulations governing their deals with paid fantasy sites. The rules essentially made daily paid fantasy sites equivalent to gambling casinos in ways club could market with them. Marketing assets garnered by FanDuel in these deals include fixed and digital signage, team-controlled radio, TV, and digital advertising inventory, hospitality, and unique "experiences" for FanDuel customers, including access to NFL Draft parties, training camps, game-day field passes and the ability to play touch football on team fields. More specific team activations will include FanDuel signage in the Jaguars' war room during the upcoming NFL Draft, the creation of a FanDuel Fantasy Lounge at FedExField to supports the Redskins' partnership and permanent signage on the Eagles' new “Fantasy Tower” at Lincoln Financial Field. "Fantasy is one of our fastest-growing segments and we have a passionate fan base FanDuel is tapping into as they look to grow," said Eagles Senior VP/Business Ari Roitman. Aside from its ESPN affiliation, competitor DraftKings has NFL team deals with the Broncos, Patriots and Steelers (
Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large).
NOT CONSIDERED SPONSORS: USA TODAY's Brent Schrotenboer notes NFL team logos "won't be allowed in FanDuel advertisements or on the FanDuel website." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy indicated that the reason is because the "daily fantasy marketplace is in its infancy." He added that daily fantasy companies "are not considered team sponsors." McCarthy in an e-mail wrote, "A team sponsor is a company that can use the team logo or say, 'We are the official (company) of the team.' That is not the case here." Schrotenboer notes the NFL last year "didn't allow advertising from daily fantasy sports companies until midseason, with only a few teams signing marketing deals with them" (USA TODAY, 4/22).
