Genius Sports, the international sports data technology company, has entered into a tie-up with the FanDuel Sports Network.
Through a deal unveiled today, Genius' Intelligent Content Platform (ICP) software will be utilised during coverage of NBA (men's) and WNBA (women's) basketball on that regional sports broadcasting brand, to "empower brand partners with premium, in-game ad inventory," across linear, digital, and streaming coverage.
The deal stretches across over 300 NBA games per campaign, as well as across WNBA action.
FanDuel Sports Network, the US regional sports broadcasting brand operated by Main Street Sports Group (MSSG), has rights agreements in place with 13 NBA teams and two WNBA franchises.
The various insights and data points from the ICP that brands can "own" and attach themselves to include Player ID, Shot Probability, Shot and Defender Distance, and Heat Maps.
This will be achieved through the Genius IQ AI and sports data platform.
In addition, the sports technology company's partnership with FanDuel Sports Network aims to "provide brands with a national footprint, enabling them to reach local and national audiences with scale, precision and context."
Sean Conroy, executive vice president at Genius, has commented on the tie-up, saying: "Together, we’re creating the first truly unified augmented advertising network in live sports, giving brands the ability to reach fans with relevant, real-time content at the moments that matter most."
Late last month, Genius unveiled a worldwide partnership with marketing agency Publicis Sports, centred around Genius's FanHub sports advertising platform.
Publicis Sports clients will gain access to FanHub technology covering sports advertising through this deal.
Jim Keller, FanDuel Sports Network's head of advertising and sponsorship sales, added: "By pairing Genius Sports’ real-time intelligence with our network’s unmatched scale, we’re giving brands the ability to connect with fans with moments that matter most, creating more meaningful opportunities across every screen.”
In early November, FanDuel Sports Network struck partnership renewals with three prominent Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises for at least the 2026 campaign.
MSSG revealed that the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals franchises have all exercised options to extend their respective partnerships with their local FanDuel Sports Network outlets.
FanDuel Sports Network will now continue to showcase all Brewers, Reds, and Royals games not selected for nationwide TV coverage (by MLB's national level media partners) in each of the franchise's respective local areas.
