CBS Sports has announced a strategic partnership with bookmaker William Hill, which will become the official sports book and wagering data provider across all CBS Sports platforms in the United States.
William Hill, a British-based bookmaker which has operations in 10 US states, will receive exclusive rights to promote its brand across CBS Sports’ broad range of digital properties, including CBS Sports Fantasy.
CBS Sports, for its part, will utilize William Hill’s odds, experts and more than 140 sports books to bolster its current digital offerings. In addition, the partnership includes opportunities to feature William Hill data, odds and markets across CBS television programming.
The partnership will begin in March with initial integrations on CBS Sports digital platforms, with a full rollout planned for the fantasy football season.
Terms were not disclosed. According to the Wall Street Journal, William Hill paid CBS a fee for access to its audience and branding across CBS Sports content. The deal also includes incentives aimed at getting CBS users to download the William Hill app and put money into their betting accounts.
“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 US. Together, we will deliver even more value to this rapidly growing segment of sports fans,” said Jeffrey Gerttula, CBS Sports Digital’s executive vice president and general manager.
CBS has become the latest media company to partner with a sports book to increase engagement with its content by appealing to gambling enthusiasts.
Last month, casino operator Penn National Gaming Inc. completed a deal to acquire an equity stake in Barstool Sports, gaining a minority share with a pathway to majority control. Last May, ESPN entered into a multi-year pact with Caesars Entertainment, which includes a ESPN-branded studio at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In February 2019, Turner-owned Bleacher Report rolled out a similar agreement with Caesars Entertainment to create a similar studio inside of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to support its own betting-related programming. Last October, Yahoo Sports signed a wide-ranging agreement with BetMGM to allow betting on the Yahoo platform and to work together on content and live events, a partnership which recently extended into West Virginia.
Meanwhile, Fox Sports has a sports betting partnership with Stars Group, which created the Fox Bet platform.
From William Hill’s perspective, the partnership is likely to lead to more customers in the US. According to a press release, CBS Sports Digital has more than 80 million users per month across its sites and apps, as well as tens of millions of followers on social platforms.
Joe Asher, the CEO of William Hill US, said: “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.”