We are very excited to announce that FantasyLabs has been acquired by The Chernin Group. As part of the deal, The Chernin Group has also purchased sportsbetting analytics companies Sports Insights and SportsAction, as well as hired legend Chad Millman (formerly of ESPN) as Head of Content.
Like Voltron, we will come together to form an unstoppable force: The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ)—a premium sports content and analytics platform geared toward anyone who speculates on sports.
Our moms are super proud.
What This Means for FantasyLabs
Any time a company gets acquired, there will be changes. Let me start by confirming what won’t change for FantasyLabs: our commitment to creating the highest-quality product we can and our dedication to building innovative tools for DFS players. Note that all employees—including the founders—will remain with the company and continue delivering the same level of excellence you expect out of FantasyLabs.
We’re committed to remaining a leader in daily fantasy sports tools and analysis and continually improving all the ways we help you become a better DFS player. Your subscription (and the price you pay) will remain intact.
Let me recap:
- Same service
- Same team
- Same price
The hope is that, over time, any changes to our platform will be a positive for users. Some of these include:
- Better content, data, and tools
- Superior value
- More options
FantasyLabs is our baby. Will it always be the same great service you have now? We sure hope not; we should always be improving. We plan to bring you everything you love about FantasyLabs, supply more value in every possible way—everything from more podcasts to a superior multi-lineup tool—and provide access to all sorts of additional tools, data, and content in the future, no matter how you consume sports.
In short, you won’t lose a thing, but you’ll have access to a lot more cool stuff as we build a leader in sports media.
Why The Chernin Group?
You might recall that in 2016, we brought on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban as an investor. That had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with the partner.
We feel the exact same way about this move.
One of our initial goals was to prove a concept—the viability of premium DFS analytics and tools—that is applicable to a larger market: hardcore bettors, casual fantasy players, and anyone else who watches sports with something on the line.
To accomplish that goal, we knew we’d need to grow. We considered every possible avenue to do this—raising money, forming large partnerships, and even buying other companies—and ultimately decided that joining forces with The Chernin Group, Sports Insights, SportsAction, and Chad Millman to create The Action Network is (by far) the best path for us to upgrade our current offering and serve a larger audience.
You might have heard of The Chernin Group from their acquisition of Barstool Sports. The media company has a majority stake in four businesses, with The Action Network becoming the fifth. We’re very confident they have the resources, experience, and (most important) the right kind of people to allow The Action Network to flourish. They’re entrepreneurs at heart, and we believe in their vision for FantasyLabs, The Action Network, and in becoming a leader in sports speculation analytics and media.
We might have to change Peter Chernin’s Wikipedia: “Businessman, investor, CEO of The Chernin Group…and FantasyLabs user. Produced the two top-grossing movies of all time, Titanic and Avatar, sits on the Boards of American Express and Twitter…and once created 150 winning DFS lineups in a matter of seconds.”
Mark Cuban’s Thoughts on the Deal
Here’s what Mark said about the deal:
“My investment in FantasyLabs was a bet on the future of how people consume sports—with something at stake—and the FantasyLabs team’s ability to create tools and content that cater to that highly engaged audience. The company’s acquisition by The Chernin Group and the creation of The Action Network reaffirm the belief that this market is underserved. I’m thrilled to be involved with a company poised to become a leader in the rapidly growing industry of sports speculation analytics and media.”
Thank You
Lastly, thank you so much for being a loyal user of FantasyLabs. We sincerely appreciate it. We hope you continue to enjoy all that FantasyLabs offers for DFS players and everything we and The Action Network will continue to provide to fantasy players and sports bettors of all types.
Also, I like DeSean Jackson this week.
Jonathan Bales
President/CEO
Regular Employee, The Action Network
