DraftKings has already dabbled on the content side of daily fantasy sports, apart from running its own contests.
That effort got more serious with the recent launch of a new mobile app — DK Live — a product that is separate from its DFS platform and app.
DK Live at a glance
DK Live is being touted as the digital and fantasy-focused version of “NFL RedZone” by DraftKings. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins unveiled DK Live at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco today.
“Our team built DK Live with the fantasy player in mind, creating an experience tailored to each fan and connecting them to the content that matters most to them,” Robins said in a press release. “DK Live is our latest way of giving sports fans the best technology and experience by eliminating the frantic screen hopping between different apps and web sites on game day.”
Currently, the new offering is available for iOS in the App Store, with plans to eventually launch an Android version. The app is powered largely by data provided by STATS LLC, which DraftKings uses for its main app, as well.
A closer look at DK Live
The app is not necessarily revolutionary in the idea that it providing sports information to fans, although the app outpaces other fantasy-based apps in its ability to deliver information based on what a DFS player wants to see.
“The goal for us is really to own the experience of sweating your lineups and sports media consumption beyond just DraftKings,” Corey Gottlieb, vice president of content at DraftKings, told Legal Sports Report in a demo of the product.
What’s in the app?
- Highlights: A filterable section allows users to see every red zone play, touchdown, turnover and 20-plus yard gain for live games.
- Scores: Users can see all scores of games, including single-game scoreboards to follow a play-by-play feed for individual games.
- News: The news section includes the latest player news and injury updates, from Twitter, RotoWire and FantasyLabs, among other news sources. DK Live also leverages a relationship with Inside Injuries, which analyzes the impact of injuries.
The most interesting aspect of DK Live: DraftKings users can customize the app based on their fantasy lineups for that week. Users that also have the DraftKings app can filter the information so that they are fed only information relevant to their fantasy lineups.
“That’s the real differentiator for us, for a DraftKings user,” Gottlieb said. “This is entirely hooked into they players you made decisions about when you were drafting.”
Will people adopt DK live?
DK Live intends to be one-stop shopping for daily fantasy football players, allowing them to easily consume information for any players and teams they want, related to fantasy sports or not.
“We feel it is a perfect second screen for folks as they are watching live games and for folks as they’re attempting to follow their players,” Gottlieb said.
However, the app is separate from the traditional DraftKings app, where players can assemble lineups, enter contests, and track how they are faring against other DFS players in those contests.
Still, DFS users are often still using two or more apps or websites to follow sports — the app(s) for their DFS contests and a sports app/website. Gottlieb argues that no product on the market caters this much to the DFS user, with the level of fantasy customization available at DK Live. That gives it a leg up as that potential sports source, at least for DFS players.
Can DK Live make a dent in a space that is already filled with myriad apps providing real-time sports information? If DraftKings and other users find it different and useful enough, that potential exists.
