DraftKings Partners With Podcasting Giant iHeartMedia

Over the past few months, we’ve seen no shortage of sportsbook partnerships. At the start of the season, the Indianapolis Colts partnered with Caesars Sportsbook, a deal that included plans for the Caesars Sportsbook Lounge to open up within Lucas Oil Stadium. Fubo Gaming, an upcoming sportsbook created by FuboTV, has made recent partnerships with NASCAR and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even colleges have gotten in on the action, with the University of Denver striking a partnership with SuperBook Sports. Well, today one of the biggest sportsbooks in the nation teamed up with one of the most popular media companies. Here’s everything you need to know.

iHeartMedia Teaming Up with DraftKings

DraftKings, one of the biggest sportsbooks and daily fantasy sports providers in the U.S., has just announced a new partnership with iHeartMedia, a multimedia corporation previously known as Clear Channel. iHeartMedia is a major player in broadcasting, with the top audio sports network in the nation. The company is also heavily involved in the podcasting world, accounting for 280 million downloads each month. Sports is a major focus for the company’s podcasts, with 50 million monthly downloads coming from the iHeartPodcast Sports Network.

The partnership makes plenty of sense given iHeartMedia’s heavy involvement in sports. DraftKings will now act as the official odds supplier for the media company, meaning exclusive odds for everything from podcasts to social media. The sportsbook also has the opportunity to create exclusive content with iHeartMedia, incorporating the distinct broadcasters under the company’s umbrella. Interactivity between the two platforms is also a possibility, with unique games planned for the future.

iHeartMedia Goes All-In on Sports Betting

With the popularity of both sports betting and podcasting, it makes sense that iHeartMedia is making these types of moves. iHeartRadio, the company’s streaming and podcasting platform, hosts a large number of betting-focused shows such as Beating the Book with Gill Alexander, Awesemo Odds, and Today in Sports Betting. iHeartRadio also allows you to stream entire sports betting radio networks. For example, you can stream the Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN), the very first sports betting radio network, directly through the app.

VSiN has its own connections to both iHeartMedia and DraftKings. The network struck a deal with iHeartMedia at the end of 2020 that included a dedicated station, podcasts availability, and betcasts. Just a few months later, DraftKings announced that they had officially acquired VSiN. Clearly, traditional sports media is changing rapidly, and the major players are making moves to keep up.

Not The First DraftKings Partnership

DraftKings has been making plenty of partnerships as they try to compete with FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and more. DraftKings was one of the very first sports betting platforms to officially partner with the NFL, something that would have been unheard of years ago. Early last year, DraftKings officially partnered up with three different NBA teams, the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers, and the Philadelphia 76ers. The entire list of the company’s partnerships would make a lengthy article of its own. The DraftKings deal with iHeartMedia wasn’t the first, and it clearly won’t be the last.