Major League Soccer, DraftKings Announce Daily Fantasy Partnership

DraftKings is now the exclusive daily fantasy sports destination for Major League Soccer in both the United States and Canada.

Now fans can play MLS fantasy soccer in single-day leagues, without the need to make a season-long commitment. Both free and paid leagues will be offered.

DraftKings and MLS also will develop new and innovative daily fantasy games to bring the best daily fantasy soccer experience to MLS fans. DraftKings will also partner with a number of MLS clubs, with details to be unveiled at a later date.

The increasingly popular daily fantasy sports space is a proven fan development tool that we're excited about, said Gary Stevenson, President and Managing Director of MLS Business Ventures in a statement. You'll see deep integration within our many digital platforms and you'll see a number of club deals. We are delighted to partner with DraftKings to give our passionate fans another innovative way to experience the sport that they love.

Soccer is an incredibly exciting sport that is underrepresented in daily fantasy and we're going to change that in a big way, said Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings. We are truly looking forward to collaborating with MLS on unique contests and exclusive one-of-a-kind experiences that will thrill their passionate fan base and thoroughly engage the DraftKings community.

DraftKings Secures $300MM in Funding from Group Led by Fox Sports

DraftKings, Inc. secured a $300 Million Series D round of funding led by FOX Sports.

Also participating in the round were major North American sports leagues Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer; leading sports organizations The Madison Square Garden Company, The Dodger Ownership Group and Legends; as well as existing investors Atlas Ventures, DST Global, GGV Capital, The Kraft Group, The Raine Group and Wellington Management Company LLP.

DraftKings will use the additional funding to continue building out its industry-leading web and mobile products, launch its product internationally, and explore new opportunities for vertical expansion.

DraftKings has become the fastest-growing company in DFS since its launch in 2012, having just registered its 100 millionth contest entry this month. The company is expected to award well over $1 Billion in prizes in 2015, up from approximately $300 Million in 2014.

To receive this type of support from such an outstanding group of organizations, including three major sports leagues, is an incredible milestone for us and reaffirms our leadership position in Daily Fantasy Sports, said Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings. We intend to leverage these resources to develop even more innovative daily fantasy sports contests and provide new exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our players.

Partnering with DraftKings, a clear leader in this field, is a great opportunity for us to capitalize on the growth of daily fantasy sports for the benefit our viewers, said Eric Shanks, President and COO, FOX Sports. We'll work with DraftKings to develop ideas and create content to drive deeper engagement with sports fans across multiple platforms, including our national, local, and digital properties.

Fresh off a recently announced exclusive multi-year partnership with ESPN, under whichDraftKings will become the official daily fantasy partner of the media network across broadcast and digital platforms, today's announcement builds upon the company's leadership role in the DFS industry and its commitment to player satisfaction over a broad range of platforms.

A recent research study by independent firm Eilers, confirmed DraftKings is the favorite daily fantasy sports site among players and has over 10 times the net promoter score (a measure of customer satisfaction and advocacy) of its next significant competitor.

As the first company to take DFS into the mainstream through its original partnership with MLB three years ago, DraftKings now has five major league deals (MLB, NHL, NASCAR, UFC, MLS). Additionally, DraftKings holds relationships with teams across all major sports, branding at marquee facilities like Madison Square Garden and STAPLES Center, and integrated sponsorships with top sporting events, including this year's Triple Crown win at the Belmont Stakes.

The Raine Group worked as exclusive advisor to DraftKings on the transaction.

LINK:	http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2015/07/major-league-soccer-draftking...
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