Affiliate Industry

Better Collective Acquires American Sports Media Company Playmaker HQ

Published

1 year ago

July 4, 2023

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

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

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.”

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Affiliate Industry

Gentoo Media reports Q3 2024

Published

1 week ago

November 13, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Gentoo Media Inc., now solely an affiliate-focused business, reports record high revenues for the 15th consecutive quarter

Gentoo Media Inc. presents its Q3 2024 financial report, with record-high revenue of EUR 30.4 million, up 35% year-over-year, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of growth. During the quarter, the company completed the spin-off of its Platform & Sportsbook division and formally rebranded from Gaming Innovation Group Inc. to Gentoo Media.

Q3 highlights

Gentoo Media reported all-time high revenues of € 30.4m, up 35% YoY, of which 12% organic growth.
EBITDA before special items reached €14.6m, with an EBITDA margin of 48%.
EBITDA after special items increased by 36% to €14.0m, with an EBITDA margin of 46% (46%).
EBIT reached €10.0m, with a margin of 33% (32%).
Focus on higher-value markets continued in Q3. Value of deposits increased 36% for the player base, while player intake reached 112,000, down 2% YoY.
Gentoo Media is now purely an affiliate-focused business after distribution of the Platform & Sportsbook division to shareholders on 30 September 2024.
Cash flow from operations will improve post-split, expanding capital allocation options moving forward
Gentoo Media is now better positioned to deliver meaningful returns and create substantial value for our investors.

Investor presentation and webcast

CEO of Gentoo Media, Jonas Warrer, will host a presentation of the Q3 2024 results via livestream at 09:00 CET today.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A-session, and investors, analysts and journalists are welcome to participate. The presentation will be given in English.

The post Gentoo Media reports Q3 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Affiliate Industry

Increase Redirect Speed by 5 Times with Affilka New Feature

Published

3 weeks ago

October 31, 2024

George Miller

increase-redirect-speed-by-5-times-with-affilka-new-feature

Reading Time: 2 minutes

SOFTSWISS, a global tech company with over 15 years of experience in iGaming, introduces a new Geo-Distributed Redirect feature of Affilka by SOFTSWISS that helps operators improve engagement and conversion rates by reducing user redirect times.

The Geo-Distributed Redirect feature intelligently routes users to destination landing pages via regional clusters closest to their location. This geo-optimised infrastructure minimises redirect times, increasing successful website visits from referral links. The feature is designed for seamless scalability across multiple regions and enhances performance globally, wherever needed.

With the new feature, Affilka by SOFTSWISS reduced redirect duration by 2.5 to 5 times. At one of the regions, for example, extensive simulated tests showed a decrease in redirect times for users from 1.5 seconds to 300-500 milliseconds – this is one of the fastest responses available in the market. As a result, the feature implementation leads to a 3.5% to 7% growth in users successfully reaching casino sites. This increase in site traffic, in turn, directly contributes to more registrations and deposits.

The Geo-Distributed Redirect feature boosts conversions, accelerates redirects, enhances fault tolerance and high availability, and improves service reliability for users globally. Even during unexpected challenges, the system dynamically reroutes traffic to alternative resources, ensuring a seamless experience.

Gleb Bichan, Product Lead at Affilka by SOFTSWISS, shares his excitement: “With the launch of our Geo-Distributed Redirect feature, we are addressing the needs of clients targeting users worldwide. By reducing redirection times and increasing reliability, we enable our partners to deliver a superior user experience that drives traffic delivery and conversions. This feature is a significant improvement for customers looking to expand their global reach.”

Along with affiliate marketing, SEO website advancement helps operators promote their projects. Considering this, SOFTSWISS issued a comprehensive Casino SEO Audit: The Ultimate Guide, providing tips for increasing any iGaming project’s visibility.

The SOFTSWISS team looks forward to sharing the details of the Geo-Distributed Redirect feature and other product updates at the upcoming SiGMA Europe Expo. Current and potential partners can book a meeting with company representatives at stand 2145 through the contact form.

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 Increase Redirect Speed by 5 Times with Affilka New Feature appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.