Dish Network and DraftKings have reached a strategic agreement under which the betting company’s sportsbook and daily fantasy products will be available across the video provider’s portfolio.
The first step with be the integration of DraftKings’ app into the DISH TV Hopper platform. The agreement calls for DraftKings’ products to eventually integrate into Sling TV and Boost Mobile as well.
“The integration with DraftKings is an exciting enhancement for our customers and a great addition to the growing DISH TV Hopper platform — a one-stop entertainment hub,” Dish TV Group President Brian Neylon said in a press release. “We’re thrilled to work with DraftKings to amplify the sports-fan experience, and extend the DraftKings footprint across our unique suite of services, including SLING TV and Boost Mobile, with potential applications across our 5G wireless buildout in the future.”
Those with the Internet-connected Hopper will be able to access DraftKings’ app to view betting odds and fantasy contests. Bets can be initiated from the television and recordings can be set to watch the contest upon which the wager is made. The participant then is prompted via a text message to complete the transaction on the app. Bets can be initiated for NCAA basketball and NBA and NHL games.
Additional features will be added in the future. The DraftKings app can be used while watching any live, on-demand or recorded Dish TV content.
The inclusion of Boost Mobile in the DraftKings Dish deal is interesting at a time when consumers increasingly are consuming entertainment on mobile devices. Dish acquired Boost Mobile last year but this is one of the first moves Dish has made that attempts to leverage the Boost offering to tap into mobile entertainment consumers.
