Knicks, Devils Broadcasts Get Betting Flavor With FanDuel Deal

(Bloomberg) -- MSG Networks Inc. signed a deal with FanDuel Group that will give a gambling-friendly feel to broadcasts of New York Knicks and New Jersey Devils games.

As part of an agreement that will be announced Wednesday afternoon, FanDuel will become an official sports-gaming partner for broadcasts of the NBA’s Knicks, as well as the exclusive sports-gambling partner for broadcasts of the NHL’s Devils. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

MSG Networks’ New York Rangers hockey telecasts also will include FanDuel commercials, but not betting-related content.

Sports-betting companies increasingly are signing deals with pro sports teams and media entities in places where betting on games is legal. While it’s not yet pervasive in New York, it is in neighboring New Jersey.

Devils telecasts will have updated betting odds in a scrolling ticker during each intermission. The partnership also will include a mix of in-game and halftime spots, branded content and commercials.

The network recently began showing a five-minute segment called “Inside the Lines” prior to the Knicks pregame show, devoting that time to a look at the National Basketball Association betting landscape. A similar one-minute NHL-focused show will air leading into every Devils pregame show.

--With assistance from Eben Novy-Williams.

To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum

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