FanDuel paying AP for access
In a partnership that has raised some eyebrows, FanDuel has inked a deal with the Associated Press (AP) to be the news organization’s exclusive supplier of betting odds for its news content. FanDuel is paying AP for the privilege, though payment terms were not revealed.
The Associated Press will use FanDuel’s odds in any sort of article or content that calls for it: game previews, stories specifically about betting, what-have-you. The AP will include links to FanDuel’s website, but only to the homepage, not to specific game or betting pages.
“As sports betting becomes more commonplace, our customers are increasingly asking for this kind of information,” said Barry Bedlan, AP’s global director of text and new markets products. “It makes sense to work with one of the largest, reputable sportsbooks in the United States to provide a consistent, credible reference point for AP and its customers.”
Consistency certainly makes sense. After all, if you are going to include odds in your sports articles, you might as well have them all come from one source. The concern some has is with the FanDuel “widgets” that will be integrated on AP sports pages and will distribute “select FanDuel content.” The fear is that the Associated Press, an independent news organization, could start shilling for FanDuel. AP executives are adamant that the organization will have full editorial control over its content.
Chances are (I was going to say “odds are,” but that would be too easy), everything will be fine. The Associated Press is a very reputable media outlet with almost two centuries of history. It’s doubtful that they would suddenly sell out to a sports betting company (unless they already have been selling out to other companies).
Money and news are a difficult combo
Sponsorship, advertising, and marketing partnerships are always tricky things in the news business. You need a way to make money, but you need to maintain your professional integrity and, depending on the outlet, neutrality. In a situation like this, you would normally see the news outlet pay for the betting data, but FanDuel wants its name on AP articles, so the money is going the other direction.
I ran into a tricky scenario many years ago on this site, when it was under different ownership. Several new people had been brought onboard and were looking to up the site’s monetization. We made a deal with UltimateBet during to write one UltimateBet-centric article per week during the World Series of Poker. I protested, partly because UltimateBet was a toxic name after the superuser scandal and not a poker site with which we should be associated, and partly because I didn’t want to shill for a poker room. We would look really bad in the poker community if we are sitting there forcing fluff pieces every week about a terrible poker site.
My concerns were hand-waved away and I was told to just write the articles. The one that made me feel the sickest was when I had to write some bullshit piece about a poker celebrity (not even a great player, more just a celebrity) who was celebrating her birthday at some Vegas club. Seriously, that was the story. A birthday party. Still haunts me, a solid decade later.
Now, the Associate Press is different. They are one of the news world’s bedrocks, while we just write about poker. And the AP actually has a use for FanDuel’s betting odds and would be getting the info elsewhere if it didn’t strike a deal. Let’s just hope everything remains neutral.
