“Businesses in content … have a pre-existing base of sports fans as well as a proven track record of delivering exceptional content,”Harry von Behr is the managing director of British sportsbook services company Spotlight Sports Group. He told. “This combination is pure gold to sportsbooks as it has been proven that quality content drives more bets from sports fans across the board.”
Prime Sports Consulting’s Dave Torres stated that sites such as The Athletic, which have built a following of sports fans, are a target audience for betting sites. “It is the prime audience they are looking for to expand their customer base and a place where they can promote their sports betting sites and have the highest probability of the highest conversion rates,” Torres said. “Bottom line, they will use it to convert the more than 1.2 million subscribers into sports betting users in the hopes that these new users will continuously bet on sporting events and more times than not, lose their bets — bringing in more profit for the company.”
Some sports magazines have even started their own betting houses. Sports Illustrated teamed up with 888 in order to create this year’s Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated SportsbookThe first to launch in Colorado, with more states following. Fox also entered the betting market when it launched. Fox BetIn partnership with The Stars Group, Disney-owned ESPN is exploring LicensesIts brand was sold to major sports betting firms for at least $3B over several years. According to reports, DraftKings was also involved in these talks.
According to intelligence firm, Sportsbook apps are now more popular than daily fantasy sports apps. Sensor Tower. The top five apps had more than doubled their downloads in Q3, and combined they saw a 177% growth year-over–year. The Google Play app store now allows gambling apps to be downloaded in the U.S.
“In the U.S., where online sports betting is still in its infancy, the brand visibility of DraftKings and FanDuel, as well as multiple physical sportsbooks moving online, has created a different competitive environment,”Dennis Yeh is an analyst at Sensor Tower. “This dynamic, in addition to state-by-state legalization, will likely allow for greater competition and for the services to have different regional priorities.”
Sport betting has been legalized in 24 states so far. Opening up the betting market to some 111 Million AmericansAccording to the American Gaming Association, it is. Some states also have Proposed legislationSports betting was legalized in several ways, including online and in-person betting. New Jersey, one the most important markets, was the first state to legalize sports betting in September. Hit $1 Billion
“A major factor triggering increased interest in sports media is the rise of legalized online sports betting,” media expert Jack Myers said. “The category is the fastest growing advertising category. … There is a fast growing market for news and feature coverage.”
The demand for fantasy sports and aggregated content via outlets like NFL RedZone is increasing. Myers said that fringe sports like darts and lacrosse are also gaining popularity. This year’s online betting spike was also driven largely by the start of the NFL season in September when sportsbook apps saw their best month in monthly downloads in the U.S., according to Sensor Tower.
Based on the American Gaming Association’s ResearchIn September, 45.2 million Americans will place a stake on the NFL season. This record is up from 36% in 2020. Up 73% from 2020, 19.5 million people said that they would place an online bet.
Sensor Tower data shows that Caesars, DraftKings and BetMGM were the top five most downloaded apps in H1. FanDuel, which merged with Paddy Power Betfair in Ireland in 2018, was ranked first. Flutter Entertainment now operates as Flutter Entertainment, with brands such as Sky Bet, Betfair, and Fox Bet. In 2016, FanDuel and its main competitor DraftKings announced plans to merge — a deal that was scrapped the following year after the Federal Trade Commission It was blocked
The space will only get more competitive as companies focus on turning sports fans into sports bettors — particularly by way of their content. Mergers and acquisitions don’t seem to be slowing down, von Behr said, adding that there may be more sports outlets for sportsbooks.
“By and large, being public companies they are being judged by market share and by the audience size,” von Behr said. “As we look into next year, there will still be that demand. The challenge is the supply of quality assets that people will acquire. If a number of larger and more successful affiliates have been already acquired, it will create a premium for those still available.”
