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Thursday, April 12, 2018

Arena Football League Announces New Partnerships with DraftKings, Sportradar, Facebook and VSiN

Today, the Arena Football League announced new partnerships with DraftKings, Sportradar, Facebook and VSiN that together will put the AFL at the forefront of the fan gaming experience, and will mean a more interactive, dynamic game experience for AFL fans.

“The partnerships we’re announcing today give fans a whole new range of ways to get in on the action of arena football,” said Ron Jaworski, Chairman of the AFL Executive Committee. “Today, we’re bringing fans even closer to the game by giving them access to more data, creating more intensity in each individual moment of the game and introducing some cutting-edge gaming options.”

The AFL announces today that DraftKings will become the exclusive daily fantasy partner for the AFL. DraftKings will launch an AFL fantasy game and will stream AFL games through their app. Both the fantasy product and streaming capabilities are expected to launch for the 2019 AFL season. DraftKings will also become a league-wide marketing partner of the AFL.

“Combining daily fantasy and live streaming is a powerful combination for providing compelling content for our customers,” said Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer at DraftKings. “We are confident that our customers will enjoy the fast pace of AFL games and the new daily fantasy sport contests the sport allows us to offer.”

Today, the AFL is also announcing a partnership with Swiss based Sportradar, one of the world's leading data providers to sports federations and leagues, media networks, and sports books. As part of this deal, Sportradar will build a new API for the AFL which can be licensed to new partners for the automated distribution of data. Sportradar’s AI platform for data-driven insights and zero-latency data products make it one of the premiere companies in the world for sports information.

“The Arena Football league is committed to delivering a modern and engaging fan experience, and we are very pleased to be part of that commitment,” said Jason Sukhraj, SVP of Business Development, Sportradar. “The AFL API is the first step in connecting more fans to the league and we look forward to working closely with the AFL on developing more innovative fan engagement solutions in the future.”

These partnerships will mean a tremendous boost in the amount of game and player data available to fans and will create even more intensity for fans around every moment of the game.

In addition to the new partnerships with DraftKings and Sportradar, the league is also announcing today new partnerships with Facebook and with Vegas Stats and Information Network, VSiN, a preeminent source for sports gambling news, data, analysis and content.

The partnership with Facebook calls for 12 games to be broadcast live in the U.S. on Facebook Watch and globally via the AFL show Page. The AFL will also leverage Facebook products, including Groups and Stories, to engage directly with its fans. The AFL’s Facebook strategy is aimed at growing its teams’ digital presences and tapping into the universe of potential fans who can be reached on the platform.

VSiN, through its partnership with the league, will create dynamic content that will give fans more data and information about teams, players, matchups and more, to make every fan a smarter, savvier sports consumer. Fans will be able to tune in to VSiN-produced pregame shows and segments each week that preview betting odds and trends, as well as other co-produced live content focused on in-game betting angles.

Together, these four new partnerships put the AFL on the cutting edge of gaming and live game viewership. The league is already expanding the limits of the fan viewing experience on the Monumental Sports Network through the use of innovative multi-camera technology Kiswe and hat camera technology ActionStreamer. Today’s announcements also make the league the premier professional sports destination for fans who want to do more than just watch a game. Now, they will have the chance to get in on the action.

The AFL season kicks off on Friday, April 13th when the Washington Valor host the Baltimore

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