BetMGM x Foul Territory
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Sports Betting Partnership
- Best Sports Betting Cotent
- Most Creative Partnership with an Athlete or Influencer
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
BetMGM’s innovative partnership with Foul Territory, a live-streaming baseball show featuring unfiltered conversations and authentic takes on the spiciest baseball topics, gave the brand a voice in the limited baseball media space. Foul Territory’s player-led media approach allowed BetMGM to live at the very pulse of daily baseball conversation through credible former players that served as ambassadors organically promoting and positioning BetMGM’s sports betting and poker product portfolios.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
Foul Territory and BetMGM’s mutual goal was to create a platform to fill the void in the market and provide daily, relatable baseball content for the entire league ¬– and they did just that. The show set a benchmark for fan engagement with baseball content, generating over 100 million impressions across platforms in just the first year. This represented unprecedented audience growth for baseball content. The truly multi-faceted approach to the partnership from brand integration to on-site broadcasts to talent involvement set a new standard for what this type of partnership can look like for the industry moving forward.
Objective
BetMGM sought a flagship baseball media entity to build their sponsorship portfolio and share specific brand messaging. At the time, there was a major gap in the baseball media space which lagged other sports due to their lack of independent media and player-led perspectives. Foul Territory launched to fill this gap as an innovative platform with a player perspective that would provide daily conversation for baseball fans.
Hosted by former All-Stars A.J. Pierzynski, Todd Frazier, Adam Jones, Lorenzo Cain, Brock Holt and Jason Kipnis along with 11-year MLB catcher Erik Kratz and former MLB Network host Scott Braun, Foul Territory streams live Monday through Friday. BetMGM’s objective with this partnership was to showcase its brand to engaged baseball fans and further integrate through featured bets, bespoke promotions, onsite broadcasts at MGM properties and the organic extension of Foul Territory’s brand into other BetMGM products.
Strategy & Execution
The core tenet of BetMGM’s strategy with Foul Territory was prominence. Almost every clip of the show on every platform included a BetMGM logo or branding, so no matter where fans consumed Foul Territory’s content, they also engaged with BetMGM.
Daily touchpoints are critical in a sport like baseball with its robust schedule. The partnership included touchpoints like daily picks, weekly Foul Territory-branded boosts (increased odds on a specific bet) and promotion of the BetMGM Swing for The Fences free-to-play game.
Extending the Foul Territory brand to other features and products of BetMGM became a critical component of the overall partnership and helped highlight BetMGM’s omnichannel experience. Examples included bi-weekly broadcasts at Borgata in Atlantic City, MLB All-Star Game watch-alongs, broadcasts at Great American Ball Park and having talent place the first bets at BetMGM’s relaunched Cincinnati sportsbook.
The organic extension of Foul Territory into the BetMGM Poker brand allowed BetMGM to leverage the hosts’ previous card-playing experience. Former MLB Network host Scott Braun and former players A.J. Pierzynski, Erik Kratz and Jason Kipnis all participated in BetMGM Poker events or joined the commentary booth – with Kipnis cashing in at the BetMGM Poker Championship!
Organizations
- BetMGM
- Foul Territory
Links
Featured
- Adam Jones
- A.J. Pierzynski
- Erik Kratz
- Jason Kipnis
- Scott Braun
- Todd Frazier
Credits
Alex Tavernier
Senior Manager, Media Partnerships
BetMGM
Ethan Katsoff
Media Partnerships Coordinator
BetMGM
Samuel Aebli
Partnerships Associate Manager
BetMGM
Scott Braun
Host, Cofounder
Foul Territory
Marc Weiner
Executive Producer, Founder
Foul Territory
A.J. Pierzynski
Host, Partner
Foul Territory
Erik Kratz
Host, Partner
Foul Territory
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
