The NFL season is fast-approaching, and as apps aim to disrupt both fantasy sports and gambling, it's worth a look at the leaders to see where each stands.
When DraftKings ($PRIVATE:DRAFTKINGS) failed to merge with FanDuel ($PRIVATE:FANDUEL), a battle for the fantasy throne began. While FanDuel might be right behind them, it still doesn't have as many customers or employees as DraftKings overall (although both have been scaling up). And right before more states legalize sports gambling, the biggest startup in Massachusetts is sitting on a war chest of 8 million active users and almost a billion dollars in equity funding. So what can take the crown from DraftKings?
We aren't sure anything can yet, despite ESPN, Yahoo, and others trying. But here is where things get interesting when we look into our data.
Maybe DraftKings should look into some more programmers and engineers to fix their software?
DraftKings has several apps for both the Apple and Google Play Stores. The Fantasy Football app, the Sportsbook app, and the DK Live app all work in tandem to give sports fans and gamblers the best experience possible. And while the Apple Store apps all maintain a strong 4.8 star rating, that's not the case for the Google Play Store reviews.
DK Live seems like a big push to get people from all fandoms together into one app to track players and teams, but the stark difference between the Apple and Google store reviews and ratings is alarming. If you split your fanbase along which phones they use, that can cause friction when people want to recommend DraftKings.
DK Live delivers an unprecedented end-to-end fantasy experience. It is the first ever play by play and news app built with the fantasy player in mind. - Description of the DK Live app on the Google Play Store
With all this in mind, you may be asking how FanDuel is doing with its user satisfaction? Much better, is the answer. The Fantasy Football app is sitting on a 4.8 in the Apple store, and the Sportsbook app is at a 4.4. For Android, FanDuel is at a 4.5 and its Scout app is at a strong 4.6.
Look at that consistency! For an entire year, the number of reviews went up to over a thousand, and the average rating stuck like a rock at a solid 4.6. That's impressive to pull off considering people lose money using these apps, and are angry about it sometimes.
So can DraftKings fix its Android app soon? Will this lead to anything as football season begins? Will DraftKings take a hit on the bottom line, or will this spark a quick response? Can FanDuel capitalize? Will this lead to a mass exodus? Only time will tell. And our data, that also helps tell, not just time.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.