The National Football League (NFL) season officially kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 7 with a matchup between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL fans were already excited to welcome back the sport with the first preseason matchup Thursday, Aug. 3 between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns.
The NFL season remains a big catalyst for sports betting companies as the league is the one bet on by most Americans. Here’s a look at what the upcoming 2023 NFL season could mean for DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ: DKNG).
DraftKings reported second-quarter financial results that beat analysts estimates for revenue and earnings per share.
The upcoming third and fourth quarters for the company could get even more attention from analysts and investors given the timing of the NFL season, something not lost on the mind of DraftKings CEO Jason Robins.
“It looks like it’s shaping up to be a great NFL season,” Robins told Zenger News in an exclusive interview.
The DraftKings CEO said it is “really early” but early indicators are showing strength ahead of the season. Robins added the sports betting industry has seen incredible growth every NFL season.
“It continues to be a great time of year. I’m expecting big things and big growth this NFL season.”
Another item Robins covered is the expansion of primetime games for the NFL, which will see the launch of a game played on the day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, for the first time.
“It definitely adds value for us,” Robins said.
Robins said that adding a game on Black Friday was “a great idea.”
The game is between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, which will be available to stream for free for fans on the Amazon website or the Prime Video app, as part of the partnership between the NFL and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) for Thursday Night Football games. This deal also gave Amazon the chance to broadcast a game on the day after Thanksgiving.
The DraftKings CEO said that having dates with single games and more days of games is big for DraftKings as more is typically wagered on single games versus a Sunday with multiple games and bets spread out between the games.
DraftKings shares hit new 52-week highs of $34.49 during the intraday trading session Friday, Aug. 5. Shares are currently up 0.46% at $31.89 Monday at publication.
Produced in association with Benzinga
