LSR can verify that streaming phenom Jason Somerville has signed a partnership cope with DraftKings.
Full phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed. Somerville will proceed to signify PokerStars.
The information comes solely weeks after Somerville inked a two-year partnership with Twitch.
Highlights of the partnership
The deal will see Somerville promote DraftKings throughout Run It Up (RIU), the overarching model for Somerville’s universe of programming, dwell occasions, and neighborhood of followers – together with Somerville’s vertical-leading Twitch channel.
The ability of that channel was confirmed final spring. Throughout a 78-day run of dwell streaming online poker play, Somerville captured over 3m distinctive viewers (greater than 1m from the U.S.) who watched over 200m minutes of content material.
Apparently, the promotional exercise will circulate each methods.
DraftKings will probably be internet hosting a number of online satellite tv for pc occasions for American and Canadian gamers to a RIU dwell poker occasion scheduled for this October on the Peppermill Online casino in Reno.
PokerStars will probably be internet hosting related satellites for the worldwide market.
Somerville expects some 500 RIU followers to make the journey to Reno for what he guarantees will probably be a “enjoyable, distinctive poker expertise.”
The place DFS and RIU meet
Somerville informed LSR that he was initially “very resistant” to the concept of integrating daily fantasy sportsbook into his stream.
“I simply didn’t suppose it will be genuine,” Somerville stated, largely as a consequence of his personal lack of natural involvement with DFS.
It seems that UFC was the bridge between RIU and DFS.
Somerville is a long-time, vocal UFC fanatic who has usually built-in the game into the RIU universe.
As soon as DraftKings struck up a partnership with UFC began providing UFC occasions within the spring, including fantasy sportsbook to RIU turned a much more pure match.
“I wouldn’t have been ready to do that with out UFC,” Somerville confused. As an enormous fan who talks about “firing on UFC fairly a bit” in typical streams, it is going to require few, if any, tweaks for Somerville to combine UFC fantasy betting into RIU.
Important potential upside for DraftKings
As a current convert to DFS, Somerville could also be one of the best ambassador doable for DraftKings as DFS websites look to broaden their attain past hardcore customers.
Somerville famous that he didn’t also have a DraftKings account till just a few months in the past. Lots of his viewers are seemingly in the same place.
Somerville stated he’s “actually unsure” what number of RIU viewers will probably be experiencing DFS for the primary time via the DraftKings partnership.
“My guess is a reasonably first rate quantity,” he added, particularly provided that Twitch viewers “aren’t actually sportsbook followers” relative to the overall inhabitants.
On condition that Somerville’s final streaming run attracted 1.4m American guests, even a small slice of his viewers would signify a windfall for DraftKings.
Regardless of the quantity, Somerville is assured that viewers will discover the transition to DFS a easy one, particularly in the event that they share Somerville’s familiarity with online poker.
“I used to be greatly surprised on the ease” of entering into motion at DraftKings, Somerville stated, noting that he was in a position to “create an account, deposit and hearth in my first contest in two and a half minutes.”
That first wager? “On UFC, in fact.”
The problem of transferring the Twitch needle with DFS
Somerville singlehandedly sparked the net poker on Twitch revolution. DraftKings is little question hoping he can do the identical for DFS.
Whereas Twitch (acquired by Amazon final yr for a billion USD) has taken off in reputation for eSports and poker, it has not likely caught on within the DFS neighborhood, up to now. Execs haven’t taken to the platform to stream, and most DFS podcasts are hosted through different platforms.
FanDuel launched a daily DFS present within the spring that has generated 250,000 views and 1,000 followers – modest numbers by Twitch requirements.
DraftKings does have designs on the interplay {that a} platform like Twitch supplies, nonetheless, and that turns into extra apparent with the Somerville signing. DK co-founder Paul Liberman had this to say in an interview in Could:
“It’s just like the Twitch mannequin. Individuals are watching different individuals play fantasy sportsbook. They like to look at how individuals decide their groups. There’s lots of emotion to individuals profitable that’s enjoyable to observe.”
To extend the dynamic that Liberman is speaking about, DFS gamers have to start out making the leap to Twitch.
Somerville could be the appropriate particular person to get issues began.