After spending more than a quarter of a billion dollars on national advertising between August and November, daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel have virtually disappeared from the network TV scene. They have spent only a combined $4.2 million since then, with a small chunk of that in NBA telecasts, according to data from iSpot.tv.
However, one TV network executive says the plans of both DraftKings and FanDuel when they began their ad spending spree prior to the start of the NFL season last year was to begin with a heavy barrage of ads and then pull back as the season progressed.
Between August and November, DraftKings spent $123.4 million on national TV ads, according to iSpot.tv. FanDuel spent $136.5 million. Since then, DraftKings has spent just $3.1 million, while FanDuel has spent $1.1 million.
Where were the dollars spent? DraftKings spent 44.6% of its budget or $56.3 million during NFL game telecasts, while FanDuel spent 63% of its budget or $87.2 million during NFL games, iSpot.tv data shows. NBA games since the start of the season have gotten just $3.2 million from the two combined.
And iSpot data finds that DraftKings and FanDuel more than likely accomplished their mission of increasing consumer awareness. Between August and January, DraftKings generated 8.4 billion impressions on their ads, with an average view rate of 84%. FanDuel generated 7.9 billion impressions with an average view rate of 81%. And of all those impressions for both, 75% were viewed live.
Broadcasting & Cable
Don’t Bet Against Daily Fantasy Sports Despite Recent Ad-Spend Time Out
By John Consoli