BetMGM have continued their campaign of media partnerships, announcing an exclusive sports betting partnership with The Athletic, a premium, subscription-based sports website. The companies announced their collaboration in a January 28 press release.
As part of the deal, The Athletic will have a new content vertical dedicated to the collaboration called the Betting Hub, as well as offer in-depth content and product integrations.
“BetMGM has pioneered the online gaming industry and as we sought to establish The Athletic as a home for great betting content, we knew there would be no better partner,” said Evan Parker, The Athletic’s General Manager of Content Operations. “As we collaborate on this new venture, we share a joint vision for how to seamlessly blend media, analysis and betting into unique, premium experiences for The Athletic subscribers.”
Matt Prevost, BetMGM’s Chief Revenue Officer, explained why The Athletic appealed to them as a partner, “The Athletic has an incredibly engaged and loyal readership and we look forward to introducing their fans to the BetMGM sports betting brand. They also have an outstanding product and, through integrations and collaboration, this partnership complements The Athletic’s premium offering.”
If you’re a subscriber to the Athletic, or know anyone who is, the loyal readership Prevost speaks of is evident. The site has over one million die-hard subscribers, with a large portion checking the site on a daily basis for news and in-depth analysis. Getting those devoted readers looking at sports betting lines makes a lot of marketing sense.
BetMGM’s strategy for growth has depended in large part on this kind of partnership. While it’s not hard to get Americans betting on sports, BetMGM has made sure they are in as many places as you can find them, previously partnering with Yahoo, as well as teams like the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
This deal is very reminiscent of Penn National Gaming’s buyout of Barstool sports, which that operator hailed as one of their big successes of 2020. Put sports betting in front of a dedicated and rabid sports audience, and they’ll reward you.
