CBS Sports and William Hill are entering into a strategic partnership that will have the international bookmaker providing sports betting content across the network’s sports media properties. It’s a huge deal that represents the closest embrace of sports betting by one of America’s big three networks and is an equally huge opportunity for William Hill.
According to a press release from CBS Sports, “The deal will reimagine fan engagement through a unique integration of sports betting, media, product and technology. The partnership will tip off with initial integrations in March on CBS Sports digital platforms, with a full rollout planned for the fantasy football season.”
For their part, William Hill will be providing CBS Sports with its official sports information data stream. It also seems clear that William Hill will be playing a major part in CBS Sports’ fantasy football products as well.
The deal is an especially good one for William Hill. As the official sports betting partner of a major US network, it will earn significant brand recognition in the rapidly maturing US sports betting market. For many Americans, William Hill may be the first legal sportsbook they’ve run across.
Jeffrey Gerttula, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Sports Digital touted the deal in a press release saying, “The power of our distribution, combined with the strength of our brands and the expertise of William Hill, has us well positioned to tap into the explosive growth of the legal sports betting industry in the U.S. Together, we will deliver even more value to this rapidly growing segment of sports fans.”
Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US was equally enthusiastic saying, “CBS Sports, similar to William Hill, has a longstanding history of connecting fans directly to the biggest events and most iconic moments in sports. We are excited about this partnership, with assets including mass-reach digital content products, one of the largest fantasy sports databases and platforms in the world, and leading sports television programming, which will allow us to expand the William Hill brand across America quickly and efficiently.”