DraftKings Offers Bundesliga Streaming as League Tops Viewership

DraftKings makes another successful move as, under a new partnership, Bundesliga games can now be streamed via the company’s betting application. The return of the Bundesliga saw millions of viewers tune in to watch worldwide.

DraftKings Ties up Agreement to Stream Bundesliga Soccer Games

Exciting news for Bundesliga fans as league matches will be available live on DraftKings’ sports betting application. DraftKings already obtained the rights to stream and started on Saturday.

With the last game planned for June 27, DraftKings users will have access to all of the remaining 2019-2020 season matches. All DraftKings users that have at least $0.01 balance in their accounts will be able to watch all Bundesliga soccer streams.

The location of users is important as only viewers from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Colorado will be able to access the streams using DraftKings’ offer.

DraftKings is not actually the first gaming operator to stream Bundesliga matches as their competitor, FanDuel, has already had a similar offer running. This however doesn’t bother DraftKings which last week announced a 30% YOY revenue growth in Q1 2020. In light of these positive results, the operator has already introduced esports betting markets.

DraftKings runs lines and fixtures on popular esports as Counter-Strike, Rocket League as well as eNASCAR. The company also launched free-to-watch content such as the reality show Top Chef, Survivor, and more. Given its 30% revenue growth, DraftKings proved that with good strategy and adaptation, improved revenue can be achieved despite the current global climate for sports.

Sky Records Views in Millions Upon Bundesliga Return

Returning to the TV screens on Saturday, the Bundesliga scored millions of views. Keeping in mind that this is the first European major league out of five to return, Bundesliga broadcasting partner Sky scored 27.2% market share. Topping up 3.81 million viewers on both Sky’s TV channels and Sky Go over-the-top (OTT) platform, Bundesliga made big wave following the 66 days of postponement due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The above numbers also include 2.45 million viewers that tuned in for the Konferenz show which was aired for free even for non-subscribed viewers on Sky Sports News HD.

According to Sky, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke game, or the so-called “Riverderby,” also attracted millions of viewers. The broadcaster indicated some 789,000 viewers on TV and Sky Go watching the win of Borussia Mönchengladbach over Eintracht Frankfurt with a score of 3-1. Sky Deutschland’s head of sports and marketing, Jacques Raynaud commented: “We are grateful that we were able to entertain an audience of millions with the Bundesliga. We are extremely satisfied with the comeback.” He continued by deeming the ratings as “outstanding” and pointed out that the viewers gained access to a special TV experience by choosing Sky Network.

Bundesliga’s Popular Return In UK, Spain and US

Elsewhere, in the UK, British newspaper the Daily Mirror reported that the TV broadcaster BT Sport notched up an average of 500,000 viewers when covering the Dortmund versus Schalke. In addition, some 192,000 viewers tuned in for the evening game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Looking at results from Italy, the return Bundesliga match caught the attention of some 400,000 viewers, Sky reported. Some 155,000 viewers were reported for the Dortmund vs Schalke game alone. Dortmund’s win of 4-0 actually made 1.2% of the market share in Italy.

Meanwhile overseas, FOX Sports, which is the broadcaster for Bundesliga in the US, also indicated high viewership ratings. The win of Dortmund over Schalke set a 0.33% market share while Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach scored 0.21%. Given the high interest in Bundesliga, DraftKings’ latest move will prove to be quite beneficial for the company.