Could A Barstool Sports, SLING TV Partnership Be A Win-Win For Both Companies?

SLING TV will become the first streaming company to offer a dedicated Barstool Sports channel in a move to grow its offerings of sports content.

What Happened: SLING TV, a unit of DISH Network Corporation DISH, announced Friday it's adding an exclusive Barstool Sports Channel.

The channel will include content from some of Barstool's most recognizable names including Dave Portnoy, Big Cat, Deion Sanders and Papi Ortiz.

The new channel is available to SLING free users and paid subscribers.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Barstool Sports to bring the new Barstool Sports Channel to streaming TV audiences across America, giving broader exposure to their highly engaging content and personalities,” SLING TV President Michael Schwimmer said.

New episodes will be offered to SLING TV users for two weeks before going into wider release. Live content will include video podcasts, blogs and video series covering sports and pop culture.

Content includes “Barstool College Football Show,” “The Pro Football Show,” “One Bite Pizza Reviews,” “Pardon My Take,” “Call Him Papi” and “The Brandon Walker College Football Show.”

Related Link: Barstool Sports Lands Sponsorship, Broadcast Rights To NCAA Bowl Game 

Why It’s Important: Barstool Sports is partially owned by Penn National Gaming Inc PENN and the partnership could be a win-win for both companies involved.

“Having our own channel on SLING is another way for Barstool to continue to move the goal post and break barriers in broadcast and streaming,” Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini said.

The move comes as Barstool Sports is rumored to be in talks with Major League Baseball over rights to stream games. Barstool Sports also landed a sponsorship and broadcasting deal for an NCAA football bowl game happening later this season.

Barstool Sports reaches over 60 million monthly unique visitors, according to the company, and covers 36% of males and 30% of females in the highly coveted advertising market for Millenials and Gen Z.

SLING offers two streaming packages starting at $35 a month and has long been mentioned as one of the top streaming packages for sports fans. The inclusion of exclusive Barstool content could see the platform get a boost in subscribers going into the NCAA and NFL seasons.

DISH Network reported it had 2.44 million SLING TV subscribers at the end of the second quarter.

SLING TV also signed a partnership with DraftKings Inc DKNG earlier this year for sports betting content on the platform.

PENN Price Action: Penn National shares are up 1% to $83 in premarket trading.