The Action Network is a sports media company featuring news and analysis focused on
sports betting in the United States.
History
The company was founded by
The Chernin Group in October 2017, through the acquisition and roll-up of three companies: Sports Insights, FantasyLabs and the SportsAction mobile app.
[Kirkham, Chris]
Chernin to Court Sports Bettors With New Data and Analysis Service
The Wall Street Journal. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2018.[Spangler, Todd]
Chernin Group Makes Bet on Sports Wagering With ‘The Action Network’ Media Roll-Up
Variety. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
In October 2017, Chad Millman joined the company as chief content officer.
[Boren, Cindy]
ESPN editorial director Chad Millman is leaving, reportedly to join Barstool Sports’ parent company
The Washington Post. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2018. Millman was previously editor-in-chief for
ESPN The Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year ...
and
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
.
In November 2018, the company announced the appointment of Patrick Keane as CEO. Keane was a former board member at
Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London.
Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in ...
, and was an original seed stage investor in The Action Network.
[Mullin, Benjamin]
Sports-Betting Analytics Startup Names New CEO
Wall Street Journal. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
In July 2019, Ari Borod joined the company as Chief Commercial Officer. Borod formerly was Vice President of Fantasy Sports and Legal & Business Affairs at FanDuel.
On October 22, 2019, MLB umpire
Joe West filed a
defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
lawsuit in New York against Action Network and former MLB player
Paul Lo Duca over comments Lo Duca made on a podcast carried by the network in April 2019, recalling his Mets teammate
Billy Wagner
William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for the Houston Astros (1995–2003), Philadelphia Ph ...
telling him in 2006-7, "Joe loves antique cars so every time he comes into town I lend him my ’57 Chevy so he can drive it around so then he opens up the strike zone for me." In the complaint West denies this and says he has suffered unspecified damages as a result of Lo Duca's comments.
On May 3, 2021, the company announced it had been acquired by the sports betting media group
Better Collective for $240 million.
[Mullin, Benjamin]
Action Network to Be Sold as Sports-Betting Deals Surge
The Wall Street Journal. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
Content
The Action Network has a content partnership with
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, producing a daily show streaming on the
ESPN+
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The c ...
platform called ''I'll Take That Bet''.
[Maese, Rick]
A safe bet: Legal gambling could change the way we watch, talk and experience sports
The Washington Post. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.[McCarthy, Michael]
TV networks will be panning for talent as part of the rush to claim gambling gold
Sporting News. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
On August 27, 2018, the company announced a partnership with
Cadence13
Cadence13 (formerly DGital Media Inc.) is a media company based in New York City that creates, distributes, and monetizes audio content, primarily podcasts. The company was founded in 2015 and is a division of Audacy, Inc. The company is helme ...
to launch a podcast network dedicated to sports gambling.
[Strauss, Ben]
Action Network to launch sports gambling podcast network
The Washington Post. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
Sports business analyst,
Darren Rovell, joined the company on November 28, 2018. Rovell previously worked for ESPN and
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
.
[Strauss, Ben]
Darren Rovell on his move from ESPN to the Action Network: ‘They’re buying me as a brand’
The Washington Post. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
On April 25, 2019, the company announced a partnership with
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...
to launch a daily show on the Fantasy Sports Radio channel that will deliver a mix of sports betting insights and fantasy sports analysis.
[Glasspiegel, Ryan]
Action Network Launching New Fantasy / Betting Show on SiriusXM
The Big Lead. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Action Network
American sport websites
Internet properties established in 2017