VSiN deal with iHeartMedia expands sports betting network’s reach

December 30, 2020 12:29 PM
  • Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports
December 30, 2020 12:29 PM
  • Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports

Sports betting network VSiN expanded its partnership with iHeartMedia that will increase the audience reach for the Las Vegas-based producer of news and information dedicated to the sports gambler.

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In an announcement Tuesday, VSiN, which has newsroom studios in the sportsbooks of the South Point Casino and Circa Resort and Casino, will move its dedicated streaming radio station to iHeartRadio, an all-in-one free digital music, streaming radio, and podcasting platform.

With sports betting now legal in 19 states and Washington D.C., the partnership allows VSiN to bring is sports betting news content to additional markets, allowing listeners to access the content free of charge for the first time.

The move will take place Friday.

VSiN CEO Brian Musburger said the expanded partnership builds on the successes the company has found through podcasting and betcasting and provides “a better product” to a larger audience.

“We believe that removing the subscription hurdle on audio platforms will launch the critical next chapter for us on a technologically ubiquitous platform and set us up for 24/7 live programming in the very near term,” Musburger said. “This not only allows VSiN to get to more listeners on more devices but also to capture more advertising revenue as legalized sports betting continues its rapid spread across the U.S.”

Musburger launched VSiN more than a year before the Maty 2018 Supreme Court ruling that opened the rest of the U.S. to legalized and regulated sports betting. He likens VSiN to business-centric networks, such as CNBC and Bloomberg, in how they handle breaking gaming industry news.

The network is launching satellite studios at gaming properties across the U.S. In September, VSiN and BetRivers, the interactive gaming site associated with Rush Street Gaming, announced plans for daily sports wagering telecasts from the sportsbook from the Rivers Casino Des Plaines near Chicago.

Through the deal with iHeartMedia, in addition to broadcasting live on a dedicated channel in iHeartRadio, VSiN’s current shows will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network. Also, iHeartRadio and VSiN will collaborate on the development of new upcoming sports betting podcasts.

VSiN will also provide content to EPL BetCast Radio, an iHeart product dedicated to soccer. The live audio broadcast brings one marquee soccer match each week throughout the 2020-21 season and the partnership includes the launch of several new sports betcasts.

“VSiN is at the forefront of the sports betting industry, delivering the most credible content in the industry since it launched in 2017,” said Darren Davis, president of iHeartRadio and iHeartMedia Network Groups. “iHeartRadio is the ideal platform to enable this team to reach an even larger audience, and to educate and entertain more sports fans on the betting industry.”

Until Friday, VSiN will continue to air as a subscription service of SiriusXM, which has been VSiN’s live audio home since February 2017

Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.