It’s getting down to crunch time in the National Hockey League. With the season nearing the final month of the regular season, every game means that much more in the standings and the push to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
As the games become more can’t-miss with each night, FanDuel has a way to make sure players don’t miss them. They’ve partnered with IMG Arena to provide streaming games through the FanDuel sportsbook app.
FanDuel streaming NHL games now?
Yup. Many fans know IMG for their work in representing athletes and other stars, along with producing radio broadcasts for major college sports. IMG Arena broadcast 10.5 billion minutes of action to 56 million unique viewers worldwide in 2019.
“As we continue to innovate and expand nationwide, the ability to further enhance the live game and live betting experience is increasingly important to our customers,” said Niall Connell, GM and SVP, FanDuel Group, in a statement.
“Our goal is to become a one-stop-shop for all sports and betting content, and live streaming professional sports like hockey is one of the many ways we are reaching that goal.”
Fans with NJ online sportsbook FanDuel accounts can catch two out-of-market games each night, as available. New players can sign up easily, make a deposit (accounts must have funds in them to access the streams), and start watching.
The streams started Monday and fans seem to like the service. Not every game will be available. Games on national television will not be offered, which probably means the offerings will end in the postseason.
This is a huge boost for hockey bettors, who don’t get a lot of love with odds boosts and promotions. The sport doesn’t produce as much handle as basketball so this could help FanDuel see the market and service it better.
For FanDuel, this is dipping the first toe into a huge pool. Overseas books have been streaming games for a while. This could become a trend in America and shake up the carriage rights discussions for leagues big and small. With more media companies getting involved with sports betting, this creates some major entry points and opportunities to spread books across the country.
