Taking over
BetMGM is the new betting sponsor of NBC Sunday Night Football, replacing PointsBet. The company’s tenure began with the pre-game show for this past Sunday evening’s game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.
the sponsor for the remainder of the current season
The reason for the change is that PointsBet decided against renewing its arrangement as an official sports betting partner of the NFL. As a result, it was unable to remain in place as a sponsor of primetime football coverage on NBC Sports. BetMGM is the sponsor for the remainder of the current season, with the betting operator set to release more details about the new arrangement in the near future.
A change in approach
The decision by PointsBet to back away from its NFL sponsorship comes as part of a change in its marketing strategy in the US market. During a quarterly earnings call in August, company executives explained that PointsBet’s NBC marketing spend would be more focused on NBC’s streaming service Peacock and its various regional sports networks.
PointsBet has embarked on other types of marketing approaches recently. It launched a new e-newsletter earlier in September called Hustle, providing sports betting-related content three times per week. The plan is to eventually increase the frequency of the e-newsletter to five times per week.
PointsBet is also working on setting up a digital studio to produce podcasts and other types of shows. One of the shows in the pipeline is The Straight Line, with former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf set to be the main host. It will look at the latest football news and betting trends.
A busy time of the year
The NFL season is usually one of the busiest times of the year for sportsbooks, with many of them spending heavily on marketing to try to enhance their exposure. Just last week, it was announced that DraftKings was on board as the new betting sponsor of Thursday Night Football.
BetMGM also has a strong relationship with the NFL. In addition to being an official betting partner of multiple teams, it recently opened the first ever retail sportsbook at an NFL stadium, launching one at the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium.
