FanDuel Sports Network adding betting links to Tigers, Reds game streams
Source
SBJ
Friday, May 30, 2025
The overlay down the right side of MLB games streaming on iOS versions of the FanDuel Sports Network (FDSN) app includes the sort of icons you’d expect from a product designed for interactivity.
A tap on a bat and ball reveals pitch speed and location, similar to a gamecast. Two crossed bats take the user to a play-by-play page. Head-and-shoulders silhouettes, down side-by-side, connect to lineups with stats for each player. A medal delivers league standings.
Beginning last week, the network rolled out a fifth icon on Tigers and Reds broadcasts. At the bottom right corner is a dollar sign, which when tapped on reveals odds that update throughout the game. Those who remain in that mode also will occasionally see odds on relevant prop bets.
A tap on any odds box links users directly to that bet on the FanDuel Sportsbook app, where those with FanDuel accounts can quickly wager while keeping the video feed open on the screen.
It is a step change for FanDuel, which long has embraced integration into RSN pregame shows and game broadcasts as vehicles to connect with fans through the teams they follow passionately. An integration that promotes a same-game parlay during a pregame show or features an updated point spread at halftime requires a fan to use a second device to place the bet -- and comes with the hope that they’ll do so through FanDuel, rather than a competitor.
The sportsbook expects linkouts from the local game broadcasts on the Main Street Sports Group-owned RSNs that now bear the FanDuel name to get more fans betting more often.
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We know fans are more engaged watching their local teams and are going to be more engaged on our platform supporting their local teams as well.The difference in evolution from going from having the odds on-screen to being able to click through is eliminating some of those friction points in the customer journey. You no longer have to open the app and navigate to the right page and find the bet.
Avishay Kumar
VP/strategy and commercial
FanDuel
Overlays = more time spent watching
RSN operator Main Street -- rebranded from Diamond Sports Group in January -- hopes to not only serve the interest of its naming-rights sponsor but also build engagement for its already sticky game streams, which average 92 minutes per event across all markets, and exceeding 100 minutes in some.
It began testing overlays not long after launching its direct-to-consumer offering in 2022, starting with polls and trivia and then graduating to stats.
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We saw a direct correlation between users engaging with those overlays and the time spent watching that particular game. Users that are engaged with these different modules are watching longer. That was a test case for us. Since that time we’ve been innovating on the different things we do -- odds being a natural extension of that.
Mike Allen
Chief Product Officer
FanDuel Sports Network
The betting component works similarly to overlays that NBA.TV offers its League Pass customers, which allow them to reach either FanDuel or DraftKings through deep links that take them to specific bets. Allen worked on those while SVP/digital products at the league.
It differs from the watch-and-bet product that Genius Sports created for the NFL, which lives in video players on the sportsbook apps.
All of them address the same end goal: Allowing users to watch games and place bets from a single device, rather than a second screen.
FDSN expects to bring the feature to its outlets in Missouri when that state launches later this year. It also is likely to approach teams in some states that haven’t legalized, adapting the betting features to promote a pick ‘em style parlay prop game that FanDuel plans to roll out to compete with PrizePicks, Underdog and others.
As with the sportsbook links and other interactive features, viewers will be able to opt-in or watch the game without them.
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We want to provide users choice; however, we don’t want to overwhelm them with choices. We are still mindful of the traditionalist who wants to sit back and watch a game and they are content with the video feed in its original form. For the user who chooses to lean in, we provide them a variety of options without it being overwhelming. We’re always testing and learning. We’ll have hypotheses, identify cohorts of users and present them options and understand their behavior. And if the data indicates that it is a strong feature, we’ll roll it out across other teams and regions. A lot of what you see there is kind of tried and tested and there is high engagement that continues to grow.
Mike Allen
Chief Product Officer
FanDuel Sports Network