Affiliate Industry
Better Collective Acquires American Sports Media Company Playmaker HQ
On the journey toward becoming the leading digital sports media group, Better Collective significantly expands its efforts within social media and sports content production by acquiring Playmaker HQ for a total consideration of up to 54 mUSD, 15 mUSD of which will be upfront.
Playmaker HQ is a leading sports and entertainment media platform headquartered in South Florida, US. The sports media group specializes in providing original entertainment and sports content with exclusive athlete collaborations and creator talent mainly targeting the US market.
Currently, Playmaker HQ distributes more than two thousand monthly pieces of sports content mainly on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube. The group has more than 20 million followers across these platforms, increasing from seven million in 2020. Monthly, the content reaches over 500 million users. Playmaker has partnered with a wide variety of top brands including leaders in the sports apparel and fast moving consumer goods industries. Furthermore, the company has won several awards including Hashtag Sports’ “Top Snapchat Show” as well as four film festival awards.
Highlighted Acquisitional Synergies
- Adding to Better Collective’s legacy audience of sports betting enthusiasts, the group gains access to a new and large audience of highly engaged generalist sports fans which subsequently increases the value offering to Better Collective’s existing partners.
- Playmaker HQ holds extensive sponsorship sales know-how that will increase Better Collective’s ability to monetize audiences outside its core sports betting audience.
- Currently, Playmaker HQ is only active in North America, and expects to be able to scale content and know-how internationally across the group’s global presence.
Transaction Details
Playmaker HQ is experiencing rapid growth, and is targeting full year revenue of >10 mUSD in 2023 with an EBITDA-margin of 20-25%. Given the rapid growth the deal has been constructed with an earn-out component to ensure the growth continues.
Better Collective will pay up to 54 mUSD on a cash and debt free basis, including an upfront cash consideration of 15 mUSD, 1 mUSD in deferred payments, and up to 38 mUSD in performance-based earnout payments over a three year period.
In order to reach the full earn-out payment, Playmaker HQ will have to generate >75 mUSD in accumulating revenues and >25 mUSD in accumulating operational earnings (EBITDA) during the first three years post acquisition.
The acquisition will be conducted as an asset purchase meaning that Better Collective expectedly will benefit from certain tax deductions related to the acquisition price. The transaction will be funded by cash, with optionality to pay some of the earn out in Better Collective shares.
Marc Pedersen, CEO Better Collective North America, said: “We have been following Playmaker HQ for some time, and are excited to announce the transaction today. Playmaker HQ offers access to millions of sports fans in the US, the majority of which are new in the Better Collective user base. We are excited to help enhance these fans’ sports betting experience, while also being able to utilize Playmaker HQ’s know-how to scale the product and revenue stream across Better Collective’s global portfolio.”
Brandon Harris, CEO Playmaker HQ, said: “Joining forces with Better Collective marks a significant milestone for Playmaker HQ. We cannot wait to make plays with Better Collective’s world class team who will help us create amazing content, experiences and opportunities, reaching an even wider audience of sports fans globally. I know our creators are going to do amazing things with the support of Better Collective’s team and resources. We are just scratching the surface, and we are so excited to align with Better Collective to help achieve OUR vision of building the world’s leading sports media group.”
Affiliate Industry
Amusnet Announces Partnership with CasinoLandia
Amusnet has announced partnership with CasinoLandia, a leading affiliate platform dedicated to providing comprehensive insights into the online gaming industry. The collaboration will focus on delivering in-depth reviews of the casino provider’s extensive selection of top-notch casino titles. It will also feature exclusive interviews with Amusnet’s C-level management, providing unique insights into the company’s vision and business strategy.
“We are thrilled to partner with a platform that embodies the innovative spirit and commitment to quality that we value at Amusnet. Looking forward to gaining positive results about CasinoLandia’s in-depth reviews, especially for our standout Coin Gobbler game, and can’t wait to bring even more engaging content to elevate the player experience,” Lillya Chatalbasheva, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer at Amusnet, said.
“We are pleased to announce our partnership with Amusnet, a recognized leader in slot game development. At CasinoLandia, we highly value the outstanding graphic quality and innovative designs of Amusnet’s slot games. Their commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with our mission to provide top-tier gaming experiences. We look forward to a successful collaboration that enhances our offerings and benefits our players,” Nikola Miroslavov, Chief Operating Officer at CasinoLandia, said.
CasinoLandia is recognised for being a guide to online gambling, brimming with articles, analysis and detailed iGaming reviews. Their team is dedicated to creating thorough reviews of significant online slots, covering the best online casinos, emerging casino sites, the latest bonus promotions, software developers, crypto casinos, sports betting options and much more. CasinoLandia provides expert insights into how the mechanics of online gambling work but also helps players identify the best gambling destinations tailored to their needs and preferences.
The post Amusnet Announces Partnership with CasinoLandia appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
QiH Group unveils full sports betting vertical ahead of Premier League kick off
UK-based top affiliate QiH Group has diversified into the online sports betting arena for the very first time ahead of the new Premier League season this Friday.
The new launch will cover four sports initially – horse racing, football, boxing and the NFL – across digital marketing channels Google, PPC, SEO, programmatic, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter.
The launch will be led by the affiliate’s new-look Podium Bets brand, which showcases the best online sports betting operators alongside daily promotions, best odds guaranteed, and free-to-play games.
QiH capitalised on the intense interest during this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament to perform a successful soft launch of the sports betting division.
This culminated in the execution of 350 campaigns across paid channels, which delivered a prospect list of more than 25,000 sports customers and approximately 7,500 conversions.
Double trouble
The number of operator partners onboarded into QiH sports also more than doubled in the last two months, as the quality of the customer offering was improved and implemented.
QiH Group chief marketing officer David Murphy expects the new division to contribute 15% to revenue activity in FY ‘24/’25.
“The Euros were the launchpad of a long-held ambition for the company to expand into sports and it has been a fantastic success,” says Murphy.
“It is a strategic goal for QiH to deliver not just volume, but also quality, by targeting sports enthusiasts in quality channels while ensuring that our partners can jointly prosper in our vertical expansion.
“We are committed to providing sports fans with the same level of excellence and innovation that has defined our market-leading casino offerings.
“I am incredibly proud of our team’s efforts to expand into sports betting. This is just the beginning, and we have a lot more in store for end users and crucially, our operator partners,” Murphy concludes.
Sports-focused Podium Bets has gone straight into the QiH brand portfolio alongside premium casino offerings such as SlotsWise and StrikeWild.
Camilla Rodrigues, Affiliate Manager for Betrino, said: “Since partnering with Podium Bets at the beginning of this year, we’ve seen remarkable growth in our business. Their team has been exceptional in understanding our unique needs and crafting strategies that have yielded fantastic results. Thanks to their expertise, we’ve not only exceeded our initial expectations but have also been able to onboard more brands, further expanding our reach and success in this space.”
James Dominique, Affiliate Manager at Lottoland, said he’s been impressed with Podium Bets’ results in just a short amount of time: “We’ve recently launched with Podium Bets and have seen some fantastic results so far. Our account manager has been outstanding in onboarding our unique brand, which isn’t a typical sportsbook, and finding a way to make it profitable for us.”
The post QiH Group unveils full sports betting vertical ahead of Premier League kick off appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
SOFTSWISS: Affiliate GGR Doubled in H1’24
SOFTSWISS, a global tech company with over 15 years of experience in iGaming, reports that Affilka by SOFTSWISS doubled its affiliate GGR in the first half of 2024.
Affilka by SOFTSWISS now powers over 375 brands, demonstrating stable growth in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Analysis of the product’s financial metrics reveals that the affiliate Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) doubled during this time.
Additionally, the player deposits increased by 2.3 times, and affiliate payments demonstrated almost 60% year-on-year growth in the first half of the year.
The growing metrics indicate the increasing effect of affiliate marketing, which is set to gain even more demand with the development of iGaming. Recent trends in affiliate marketing include performance-based commission, an increasing focus on influencer relationships, and AI impact. Affilka’s by SOFTSWISS high degree of customisation and user-friendliness, combined with tailored features and intuitive design, resonates with users and enhances affiliates’ experience.
In the first half of 2024, over 65 thousand new affiliate accounts were registered, making up almost a quarter of all accounts on the platform. The indicator increased by 50.9% compared to the first half of the previous year.
New player registrations grew by 77% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year. In absolute terms, the metric exceeded 17.9 million over the period under analysis. The number of unique clicks on referral links surpassed 965 million, remaining relatively unchanged compared to the same period of the previous year.
Anastasia Borovaya, Head of Affilka by SOFTSWISS, summarises: “Recognising the vital role of affiliate marketing for success within the rapidly changing iGaming landscape, we put a lot of effort into offering exceptional service that meets our clients’ needs and anticipations. The current product performance reveals stable and continuous growth that underlines our dedication to innovation and enriching the user experience.”
The first half of the year brought outstanding recognition to the Affilka by SOFTSWISS team. The product took the Affiliate Software Supplier at the esteemed EGR B2B Awards 2024. The Asian gaming stakeholders recognised the company’s affiliate management software as the Best Affiliate Marketing Solution on the market.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS: Affiliate GGR Doubled in H1’24 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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