Sports betting operator DraftKings and Meadowlark teamed up in 2021 to distribute The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and other programs across audio, TV, and social channels. The initial deal was reportedly worth $50 million over 3 years, but Le Batard did not reveal any figures about the new deal.
Dan Le Batard And Meadowlark Media Sign New Deal With DraftKings“They have been the best partner that we have ever had and now are long-term working for each other. DraftKings will support all of the things that we do around here.”
Time of change for Meadowlark
Dan Le Batard And Meadowlark Media Sign New Deal With DraftKings and posts his NFL podcast, God Bless Football, on there.Co-founder and CEO John Skipper also departed Meadowlark earlier this month. The former ESPN host teamed up again with Le Batard in 2021 with funding from DraftKings.
Dan Le Batard And Meadowlark Media Sign New Deal With DraftKings“It’s because they let us, in a really fractured media time, have real freedom and independence the way nobody in this business has. They let us do what we want. They’ve funded, they’ve supported and we’ve learned so much together over the last few years. And this rocket ship is about to take off and grab all the things there are to be grabbed.”
DraftKings sponsorship deals
Le Batard is not the only podcast to receive backing from DraftKings, the company also sponsors The Volume, Props & Drops, New Heights, and The Pivot. In addition, it is the sponsor of NFL Red Zone and Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football.
The company spends $500 – $600 million a year on marketing, with 15% of this on sponsorship deals. The company has also been expanding into new markets and recently merged Jackpocket user accounts to offer players the chance to buy lottery tickets.
Increased advertising and expansion into new markets saw the company report $1.409 billion in revenue for Q1 2025, a 20% increase from $1.175 billion in Q1 2024. Despite this, they still posted losses of $33.8 million, but this was way down on the $142.5 million lost in the first quarter of last year.
It suggests the company may be heading towards profit, and the spread of their brand through Le Batard’s podcast, as well as other sponsorship deals, has made the company synonymous with sports betting in the country.