XFL brings Genius Sports as exclusive data partner

One of the United States’ newest sports events and leagues, the XFL, has revealed a new partnership with Genius Sports, a company that specializes in the provision and distribution of official league data for a range of third parties, such as betting services, advertisers, and media companies.

Moving forward, Genius Sports will serve as the Official Betting Data Distribution Partner for the league, the companies shared in a press release. Genius Sports has also been selected as the league’s Free-to-Play Provider, and the company has already developed a dedicated free-to-play predictions game, "XFL Pick’Em," designed to boost engagement and entertainment for fans.

Importantly, Genius Sports is the official data distributor for the company, which means that third-party companies will now be able to make full good use of the official XFL data which is considered an important asset. XFL game and tournament data will translate into increased revenue for the newly-fledged league and also ensure that brands and advertisers maintain a sustained interest in the competition.

XFL's Pick’Em game offers fans the opportunity to predict the outcome of various XFL games, place mock bets on players and teams in the league, and generally have a way to "gamify" and enjoy their experience a bit better. Fans will be able to bet with football tokens and create parlays that will be tracked in a league-wide leaderboard, adding a clear competitive element to the experience.

There will be weekly draws based on that leaderboard and players who actually win will be entitled to various rewards, such as XFL Shop gift cards or a trip to the XFL Championship Game in 2023. The Pick’Em game will likely be extended for next year and become an indelible part of the league’s identity moving forward.

Genius Sports EVP Sean Conroy said that he was happy with the opportunity to see his company become the official sports league data partner and help with fan engagement, which is vital to boosting revenue.

"We’re thrilled to partner with the XFL, connecting their games with the media and betting sectors while creating meaningful fan interactions through the bespoke XFL Pick‘Em solution," Conroy concluded.

XFL Chief Business & Legal Officer Wendy Bass was similarly pleased with this opportunity and said that Genius Sports was a member of the carefully hand-picked list of partners the league has been surrounding itself with. The gamification of sports has become one of the strongest pulls for fans, leading to better engagement and an increase in overall revenue performance.