The fantasy sports industry is undergoing a revolution that will change not only the way the game is played but how it is watched. The first boom was nothing compared to what’s about to happen next. A new wave of fantasy sports games has taken hold – daily fantasy sports games – and now fantasy players can get their fix everyday for real money. Check out the new breed of sites here and here.
In the past, the fantasy games lasted an entire season and while yes, money was on the line, it took an entire season to win. Playing for an entire season has grown old for the serious fantasy player. You can’t make money that way. First, it takes too long even if you do win. Second, if you don’t win, you just wasted an incredible amount of time (even if you win, the ROI is still horrible). Third, it’s too easy for an injury or fluky game to ruin your season even if you’re a top team.
Premium channels like NBA league pass will go through the roof in the very near future.
The above holds true for most fantasy sports but especially for fantasy football.
Enter this new breed of salary cap fantasy games that really started to catch on in early 2011. Essentially you are given a set amount of cash to spend on players that each cost a salary for that day. The trick is to find the best combination of players under your budgeted money allotted. It’s a balance game of stars vs. role players and it really does involve a lot of insight.
By the end of the night’s games, you will know if your team has won or lost money based on the number of points your team puts up vs. other teams.
We’re Going Premium
The major sports leagues, now cognizant of this fantasy craze, must cater to their fantasy fans with advanced stats, updates, in-depth analysis, injury updates. Of course, premium channels like NBA League Pass, NFL Game Pass, and MLB.tv will flourish – we’re talking gilded age here. This goes for all sports including NHL and PGA.
If sports leagues are smart, they will seek out actual fantasy experts and not try to pass off their color guys as fantasy insiders in a half-assed attempt to provide fantasy coverage. Soon there will be a 247 fantasy channel on TV, the race is on to see who gets there first. If I was MLB or the NBA, I’d strive for at least an hour of hardcore fantasy coverage at least once a day (trust me, it’s worth it).
The sports world is about to experience a new boom fueled by fans that want more access and more games all the time. It’s not a question of if the major sports leagues will make more money, it’s a question of how much. This daily sports fantasy wave still hasn’t become mainstream knowledge yet (the average sports know it all still doesn’t know he can turn his knowledge into cash everyday) but when it does, look out.
2012 and 2013 will be key years in turning sports beyond a passion and into an addiction. Another interesting turn for the fantasy sports industry will be that NBA, MLB, NHL, and PGA get a lot more play. In years past, it’s been all about the NFL because it was the easiest to manage a team for the whole season. Now, you can play fantasy games at your convenience on a daily basis so you don’t have to keep track of an MLB fantasy roster for the entire season (a lot of work).
If you would like to consult with me on how to integrate fantasy sports into your business, you can email me here. I am a fantasy sports expert in game, business, and industry and can make your launch into a successful one. I am also available to write a fantasy sports business column for your magazine or blog.
Fantasy Sports is already a 2 billion dollar industry. That number will double (with even more net profit) as fantasy players are now happy to pay for premium information and premium access to more games.
TT-Timber.com on The Business Side of Fantasy Sports