VSiN inks deal to be broadcast on YouTube TV’s Sports Plus package

September 11, 2021 7:54 PM
  • Rege Behe, CDC Gaming Reports
September 11, 2021 7:54 PM
  • Rege Behe, CDC Gaming Reports

When Brian Musburger enlisted his father, attorney Todd Musburger, and documentary filmmaker Dave Berg to launch a network centered on sports betting, Nevada was the only state where bettors could legally wager on sporting events.

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They forged ahead anyway, creating VSiN (Vegas Sports & Information Network) in 2017.

“We all enjoyed betting on sports and we were craving good sources of information we could trust,” Musburger says. “And they didn’t exist. All of the data that was available for sports bettors at the time had shaky roots.”

Four years after VSiN’s launch, the sports betting landscape has expanded exponentially due to the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018. And VSiN has become a premier source of sports betting information.

On September 8, VSiN, a subsidiary of DraftKings, announced a content distribution deal with YouTube TV to deliver sports betting news, analysis and insights. VSiN’s 24/7 programming – including 21 hours per day of live shows –

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Brian Musburger, VSiN

will be featured as part of YouTube TV’s Sports Plus add-on package.

With a roster including former NFL GM Michael Lombardi; Shaun King, who played quarterback for four NFL teams; and Brent Musburger (Brian’s uncle), the legendary sports broadcaster, VSiN prides itself on delivering content unavailable elsewhere. Brian Musburger says the main criteria when he assembled the VSiN lineup wasn’t to have the most polished or slickest programming, but to provide useful information to bettors.

“I would much rather hear from somebody that lacks any broadcast experience as long as the information they are giving me has real value to our audience,” Musburger says.

Musburger credits Chris Andrews and Jimmy Vaccaro, both of the South Point Casino in Las Vegas (where VSiN has its studio), and Vinny Magliulo, a longtime gaming executive in Vegas, for helping give the network credibility.  And while the repeal of PASPA has helped, Musburger thinks VSiN would have been successful  even if sports betting remained illegal in most of the country.

“We knew people were betting on sports,” Musburger says. “They were finding ways to do it, so we knew that there was an audience even before the Supreme Court agreed to take the case. But now you’re seeing an influx of bettors who may have been reluctant to dip their toes in it. And I think that we’re seeing a need for more betting 101 content to educate people who are new to it.”

One area that VSiN has emphasized and will become increasingly important to its programming is in-game betting. Musburger expects that as in-game betting increases in popularity, VSiN “will focus on how to educate people on how to take advantage of the opportunities presented during games.”

A new programming lineup will be released sometime next week. Musburger doesn’t expect to have any problem coming up with stories, information, or trends.

“Unlike Wall Street, sports betting is a market that doesn’t sleep,” he says. “There is always some angle to explore.”

Rege Behe is lead contributor to CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at rbehe@cdcgaming.com. Please follow @RegeBehe_exPTR on Twitter.