Charles Barkly To Be FanDuel Ambassador For NBA On TNT

Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley will represent FanDuel during NBA on TNT broadcasts.
FanDuel previously struck a deal with Turner Sports to give them access to NBA games on TNT.
Morgan Stanley estimates that the United States sports wagering industry will bring in $7 billion in combined revenue across the country by 2025, making this a smart move by TNT and Barkley.

ATLANTA – Charles Barkley has been a familiar face in the sports betting community for some time and now the NBA legend has agreed to be an ambassador for FanDuel Sportsbook during broadcasts of the “NBA on TNT” show on the TNT Network.

WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports and FanDuel formed a partnership in October and now Barkley will serve as the focal point of this deal. He will discuss his projections for the NBA games that will be airing on the channel to interested sports bettors tuning into the television show.

The Purpose Of TNT’s & FanDuel’s Combined Interests

Sports betting is becoming more and more popular with the legalization of the pastime continuing to happen on a state-to-state basis nationwide. TNT is betting on being able to grow their viewership by incorporating betting lines and conversations about gambling on the games prior to their occurrence.

They’ve developed a loose structure as to how this will play out with Barkley at the helm to give fans what the network is calling the “Charles Barkley Guarantee.”

“When he offers a guarantee or a prediction, you will see significant banter with his co-hosts and then what you will see following that as the game begins on social media there will be a discussion of what he said and what his predictions are,” said Will Funk, executive vice president of sports partnerships and branded content at Turner Sports. “This is a natural extension of what he already does within the show and it’s completely and totally organic.”

While it’s TNT’s hope that more sports fans that typically use their phones and streaming services to get information on sports betting will now watch the TV show for that same information, FanDuel has other interests for their company when it comes to this partnering.

DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook are often in competition for the top spot as the best sports betting company in the United States.

A prime example of the top two sportsbooks being at odds for the title of the “best in the US” is FanDuel announcing Charles Barkley was joining their team to then have DraftKings later make their own announcement that Michael Jordan would be sitting on their Board as a Special Advisor, with both men being two of the biggest names in NBA history.

But FanDuel wants to take the number one position in the US once and for all and they hope to begin to solidify that with TNT.

“I want to be the American sportsbook of record, and to do that, I need more than advertising,” said Mike Raffensperger, FanDuel’s chief marketing officer. “I need partnerships with critical leagues, teams and media entities like TNT where sports betting is in front of the fans.”

When Will Sports Fans See “The Charles Barkley Guarantee”?

Beginning on Tuesday, NBA fans can expect to see a special two-hour pre-game edition of “NBA on TNT” before the start of the 2020-2021 season’s doubleheader opening night.

Barkley will offer up his NBA betting picks for the matchups throughout the show. The new partnership with TNT, FanDuel, and Barkley will also put the former athlete’s face in various advertisements and free-to-play contest promotions for the sportsbook.

He is also expected to make special appearances on podcasts, other TV programs affiliated with the TNT network, and be a part of the sports betting chatter in the content of social media for both FanDuel and TNT.

This partnership is expected to grow the overall markets for both TNT and FanDuel. However, the sportsbook’s mobile application is not offered in many states at the moment but that is expected to change as many more states will see it by 2021. Michigan is one of the markets that will see the FanDuel mobile application in the new year.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.