Better Collective
Better Collective Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Playmaker Capital
Better Collective has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Toronto-based Playmaker Capital, a leading digital sports media group that owns and operates a number of strong sports media brands in the US, Canada, and across South America. Upon closing of this transformational transaction, Better Collective is expected to become the market leader in South America with the largest audience across its sports media brands and will also strengthen its leading position in North America.
Acquisition Highlights
- Better Collective’s second largest acquisition with a total price consideration of 176 mEUR
- Transformational acquisition to take market leadership in South America and enhance North American market leadership
- Acquiring strong digital sports media brands with a combined monthly audience of more than 200 million visits from across the Americas
- Experienced leadership team to stay onboard to help drive the business forward
- Clear path to synergies post integration bringing EV/EBITDA of 2026e to below 5x, implying an EBITDA margin in line with Better Collective’s publishing business of +40%. Positive synergistic effects are expected to expand further in the years thereafter
- The transaction will be funded by 65% Better Collective shares (partly by the transfer of 1,387,580 treasury shares and up to 1,713,300 newly issued shares) and 35% cash, corresponding to a dilution of approximately 3.1%. Better Collective shares will be settled at 270.48 SEK/share
- Upon closing of the transaction Better Collective will revisit its long-term financial targets for the period 2023-2027.
Playmaker Capital is a leading digital sports media group operating a strong portfolio of sports media brands across the Americas. Following the closing of the transaction, Playmaker Capital will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Better Collective. Once integrated, Better Collective expects to significantly ramp up its media capabilities and expand its audiences across its sports media portfolio.
Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder & CEO of Better Collective, said: “Acquiring Playmaker Capital is in many ways transformational for Better Collective and will be an important milestone in our journey towards becoming the leading digital sports media group. Upon closing of the acquisition, we will significantly grow our audience and reach a larger segment of generalist sports fans. For years, Playmaker Capital has built incredibly strong sports media brands and excited sports fans across the Americas with high-quality sports content, cultivating a loyal and dedicated following. The skilled team behind Playmaker Capital brings a unique set of media competencies that will boost our organization. Saying that I am excited to welcome the new team to the Better Collective group would be an understatement.”
Jordan Gnat, Co-founder & CEO of Playmaker Capital, said: “Over the past 12 months I have been talking a lot about a transformational deal for Playmaker and its shareholders that will take this company to the next level. Today’s announcement does exactly that and I could not be more excited for the Playmaker family to join the Better Collective family. Their success is undeniable and their vision to become the leading digital sports media group aligns with us exactly. The cultures of our companies are very similar and I see the integration and synergies to be incredibly accretive to shareholders.”
The closing of the transaction is subject to approval by the shareholders of Playmaker Capital, court approval, applicable regulatory approvals and certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The transaction is expected to close before the end of Q1 of 2024, whereafter Playmaker Capital will be consolidated into the Better Collective group.
Better Collective
Better Collective Announces Rollout of Prediction Market-focused Content and Products
Better Collective has announced the strategic rollout of prediction market-focused content and products targeting the rapidly growing U.S. user base. The initiative represents an important step in Better Collective’s ambition to position itself at the forefront of a new and fast-emerging entertainment category.
Prediction markets are gaining rapid traction in the US, and Better Collective is strategically positioned to leverage its products, audience reach and leading media brands to attract and engage users in this growing vertical.
To capture this opportunity, Better Collective is launching dedicated prediction market editorial hubs across key brands. The company will also significantly scale its production of articles, expert analysis and probability-driven insights covering prediction markets across sports, politics, culture, and entertainment.
In addition, Better Collective will introduce social-first video formats and educational content designed to help audiences understand and navigate prediction markets. The initiative follows the company’s proven model of building engaged user communities across its global House of Brands through high-quality content, data tools, and expert analysis.
Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Better Collective, said: “Prediction markets increase our total addressable market significantly in the U.S. and represent a natural extension of how people engage with information, probabilities and future events. At Better Collective, we have spent more than two decades building platforms that help users understand outcomes, make informed decisions and engage with sports and other cultural moments. With our audience reach, data capabilities and strong media brands, we are uniquely positioned to connect, inform, and entertain millions of users within this emerging category.”
Better Collective’s expansion into prediction markets is supported by strong signals from the company’s existing audience, where interest in event-based probability content has increased significantly in recent months. This audience represents a highly attractive segment for prediction market operators seeking to acquire informed and high-intent users.
Better Collective has already launched dedicated prediction market content and products and will continue to roll out new features and innovations, including:
• Dedicated content hubs covering a wide range of trending markets across sports, politics, entertainment, finance and culture, with Action Network serving as the core destination for prediction market content and media.
• Editorial and educational content designed to help users better understand and navigate prediction markets, including news coverage, deeper analysis of trading patterns and market developments and a Responsible Trading Guide.
• Development of a dedicated site built to rank across prediction market keywords, drive incremental traffic and establish a scalable foundation for long-term commercial opportunities.
• Web and app integrations such as direct links to pre-built event contracts with attribution similar to Better Collective’s AI betting solution, Playbook.
• Real-time social and community products such as Prediction Market alerts on X.
Better Collective has already established strategic partnerships with leading prediction market operators, focusing on brand awareness, education and customer acquisition in this emerging entertainment category.
The post Better Collective Announces Rollout of Prediction Market-focused Content and Products appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Better Collective
Better Collective reports Q3 2025
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Flash Q3 2025 highlights:
- Revenue of 78 mEUR, impacted negatively by 10 mEUR versus last year due to lower sports win margin following player-friendly results
- Recurring revenue of 50 mEUR, 64% of total revenue
- Revenue share income from the North American market doubled versus last year
- EBITDA before special items of 21 mEUR, 26% margin
- Successful launch of AI betting solution, Playbook, sending millions of bets to partners
- Full-year guidance remains unchanged
Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder & Co-CEO of Better Collective, comments:
“I’m pleased to see that, when adjusting for the unusually low sports win margin of the quarter, Better Collective is back to organic revenue growth. It’s a clear sign of the strength and resilience of our diversified business model and the solid execution across our organization. The launch of Playbook marks the next evolution of Better Collective as the digital home of sports fans – expanding our focus from customer acquisition to retention. Playbook is already generating millions of bets with our partners, showing strong early traction and user adoption. Thanks to all my colleagues for your hard work, innovation, and commitment to pushing us forward.”
Highlights Q3, 2025:
The financial guidance for full-year 2025 remains unchanged.
Revenue decreased by 4% to 78 mEUR, with organic growth reflecting the same development. The performance was in line with expectations when adjusting for the impact of an unusually low sports win margin. The main year-over-year drivers impacting performance during the quarter were as follows:
- Sports win margin: Player-friendly results in September led to a record-low sports win margin for the month, negatively impacting Q3 revenue by approximately 10 mEUR compared to the same period last year.
- The Brazilian market: Revenue share income from the Brazilian market continued to develop ahead of expectations, yet the ongoing regulatory transition had a negative impact of around 4 mEUR.
- Foreign exchange: FX movements negatively affected revenue by approximately 2 mEUR during the quarter.
- North American revenue share: North American revenue share doubled and thus, increased by 4 mEUR, driven by the substantial unrecognized revenue share accumulated since Q3 2022, when the US transition from upfront payments to recurring revenues began.
- Growth: Underlying business performance was strong, with several areas contributing to solid growth of approximately 9 mEUR. The main drivers were Paid Media, Sports Media, and Talent-led Media.
Recurring revenue declined by 5% YoY to 50 mEUR, primarily driven by lower revenue share stemming from the unfavorable sports win margin and the ongoing regulatory transition in Brazil.
Since Q3 2022, Better Collective has been transitioning towards revenue share agreements in the North American market. While this shift has temporarily impacted reported revenue, it has built a strong foundation for future recurring revenue to be recognized in the coming quarters and years. During Q3, revenue share income in North America began to ramp up, doubling compared to the same period last year. Management expects revenue share income in North America to continue growing steadily, ultimately providing a more stable recurring revenue base, similar to the Group’s established model in the rest of the world.
CPM-based revenues remained flat during the quarter, reflecting market rates returning to normal levels after a weak H1. Better Collective sees early positive impact of several internal initiatives within AdVantage, which are expected to drive incremental growth in the coming quarters.
Costs decreased by 2% year-over-year, remaining broadly in line with Q3 2024. It is important to note the following factors for year-over-year comparison:
- The comparable quarter last year benefited from several one-off cost reductions of around 6 mEUR, including variable pay reversals and more.
- Furthermore, given the strong performance in the Paid Media business, it has increased the spend by 2 mEUR.
- The cost reduction this year reflects the execution of the 50 mEUR cost-efficiency program initiated in 2024, resulting in approximately 8 mEUR in cost reductions.
Following these factors, EBITDA before special items amounted to 21 mEUR, representing a decrease of 8% year-over-year, corresponding to an EBITDA margin before special items of 26%. Profitability was negatively affected by the record-low sports win margin and the ongoing regulatory transition in Brazil.
Free cash flow amounted to 11 mEUR in Q3 and 32 mEUR year-to-date 2025, in line with expectations and the full-year guidance range of 55–75 mEUR.
Cash flow from operations before special items was 35 mEUR with a cash conversion of 168% in Q3 2025. Previously delayed customer payments in Brazil positively impacted the cash flow this quarter.
On 30 September, Better Collective entered into a new three-year committed club facility of 319 mEUR and an 80 mEUR higher accordion option with Nordea and Nykredit. The new club facility is set to expire in October 2028, with an option to extend for one additional year.
By the end of September 2025, capital reserves stood at 88 mEUR, consisting of cash of 23 mEUR and unused bank credit facilities of 65 mEUR.
On September 12th, 2025, Better Collective launched Playbook, an AI-powered betting solution transforming how fans place bets by fitting seamlessly into the way they already engage. Find out more about Playbook in the CEO letter.
On September 16th, 2025, Better Collective announced a content partnership with BetMGM, making BetMGM the presenting sponsor of Playmaker HQ’s “Roommates Show” as well as debuting a new casino show called “No Limit”.
On August 27th, 2025, Better Collective completed its share buyback program, buying back approximately 10 mEUR since May 22nd, 2025. Furthermore, Better Collective’s Board of Directors decided to initiate a buyback of up to 20 mEUR running until March 4th, 2026. So far in 2025, Better Collective has repurchased 978,362 shares in the first buy-back program and 807,900 shares in the second program, equal to approximately 2.9% of the company’s 61,958,870 shares outstanding. Including the newly initiated 20 mEUR program, based on the current share price, this corresponds to approximately 6% of shares outstanding. Furthermore, at the Annual General Meeting earlier in 2025, the company cancelled 1.8% of its share capital.
NDCs developed in line with expectations when excluding the impact of the Brazilian regulatory transition. For the quarter, the total number of NDCs was 279,000, of which 81% were on revenue share contracts. Activity levels remained affected by the situation in Brazil, where the prohibition of welcome bonuses has redirected many new players to offshore sportsbooks. In addition, the conclusion of EURO 2024 in July created a challenging comparison base for the quarter.
Introduced in Q2 2025, Value of Deposits (VoD) measures the total amount deposited by referred users across partner platforms over time. This KPI provides a clear indication of traffic quality and player value. The continued positive development underscores Better Collective’s ability to deliver high-quality traffic, as referred players demonstrate increasing lifetime value – even amid lower NDC volumes. This reflects the Group’s strategic focus on attracting higher-value customers for its partners.
During Q3, Value of Deposits reached 726 mEUR, representing 2% year-over-year growth. This performance shows that the company has effectively offset the impact from the Brazilian regulatory transition and indicates a healthy underlying development of the revenue share base.
The post Better Collective reports Q3 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Better Collective
Network Gaming partners with Better Collective to launch pioneering gaming ecosystem
Network Gaming and BolaVIP launch groundbreaking mobile gaming platform, Ligavip, for Brazilian sports fans
Network Gaming, the next-generation sports games studio, has announced the launch of its mobile-first gaming platform in partnership with Bolavip, one of Brazil’s largest sports media brands and part of the global sports media group Better Collective.
This launch marks a bold step into new territory for Network Gaming — entering the Brazilian market for the first time, and doing so on a mainstream stage that reaches millions of passionate fans. The collaboration sets the scene for a new category of mobile sports games, built for mass appeal and designed to deepen engagement across Bolavip’s vast audience.
Timed to coincide with the start of the main football championship in Brazil, the debut of the Ligavip platform delivered standout early results, including a 15% conversion rate from unique visitors to registered users in its opening weekend.
Unlike traditional models, Ligavip is not tethered to betting. Instead, it opens up an innovative source of new revenues for Better Collective by offering free-to-play games powered by branded prizes, such as shopping vouchers from one of the country’s top sports retailers, awarded to the best performers in Ligavip challenges. Players can compete for rewards, challenge their friends for bragging rights, and monitor their performance on live leaderboards in a community-first environment.
“We’re stepping onto a new stage — launching in Brazil, partnering with one of the most influential sports media groups in the world, certainly in terms of incoming traffic to its assets, and thereby pushing our platform into the mainstream,” said Harry Collins, CEO of Network Gaming. “This is a defining moment for us. It’s not just about great gameplay; it’s about creating sustainable entertainment ecosystems built around loyalty, fun, and fan connection.”
The launch also signals a new phase of development for Network Gaming’s broader platform ambitions. With Ligavip, the company will now be building out advanced meta mechanics — systems layered on top of gameplay such as daily rewards, progression loops, and upgrades — designed to boost long-term retention. Combined with powerful social features like leaderboards, invite-a-friend mechanics, and community leagues, these systems turn simple games into sticky, social experiences.
Tomás Vaz de Carvalho, COO South America at Better Collective, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Network Gaming to bring a new kind of interactive sports experience to Brazil. This is about engaging fans in a fresh, rewarding way — and opening up new commercial avenues that align with global digital trends. Gaming is now a key pillar in many media strategies, and this partnership puts us right at the forefront.”
As traditional media looks for new ways to engage and monetise its audience, initiatives like Ligavip are becoming a strategic pillar. (The New York Times now generates more revenue from its games portfolio than its core news content.) This collaboration allows Better Collective and Network Gaming to stay ahead of the curve — creating experiences that are fun, valuable, and aligned with global digital entertainment trends.
The post Network Gaming partners with Better Collective to launch pioneering gaming ecosystem appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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