Industry News
IMG Arena and ATP Media to launch ATP Masters 1000 virtual tennis product
World’s first officially branded virtual tennis product will feature ATP premier tournaments
IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, is launching an official virtual tennis product in partnership with ATP Media, the global sales, broadcast production and distribution arm of the ATP Tour. The game will be available in April and will help sportsbook partners fill the void whilst the ATP Tour is suspended.
This new deal expands the longstanding partnership between IMG ARENA and ATP Media and is the first time they have launched a virtual sports offering.
IMG ARENA is using licensed assets to create the first-ever officially branded virtual tennis product, featuring logos from the ATP Masters 1000 series along with official tournament names, to deliver an authentic, fan-first experience.
This unique and exclusive product is evidence of the ATP Media’s innovation strategy and adds to IMG ARENA’s growing portfolio of virtual products, which also includes golf, motorsport, football, horse racing, speedway, greyhound racing and cycling.
As the broadcast arm of the ATP Tour, ATP Media provides centralised media distribution across the ATP Tour, host broadcast production for the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000s, world feed production for the ATP 500s, Next Gen ATP Finals and certain ATP 250s, as well as the international distribution for the ATP Cup.
Mark Webster, CEO of ATP Media, said: “This is a landmark agreement for ATP Media at a challenging time. We are excited to be working with IMG ARENA to deliver fans around the world innovative content and new ways to enjoy their favourite tennis tournaments.
“Together we are creating a compelling, always-on product that will boost and diversify our sports betting offering, while helping to continue to further develop our international footprint.”
Freddie Longe, Managing Director at IMG ARENA, said: “ATP Media are one of the most progressive and forward-thinking media companies – we are delighted to partner with them to launch the world’s first officially branded virtual tennis product.
“When we invested in virtual sports specialists Leap Gaming, our vision was to create official products and unlock new revenue streams and forms of fan engagement for our clients. ATP Media share this vision and desire to evolve the way that its fans could connect with tennis. The result is a game-changing product that maximises player engagement and operator returns. As with all of our virtual sports offerings, we have developed the most realistic look, feel, and betting experience.”
Headquartered in London, IMG Arena works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live streaming and on-demand virtual sports products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. Its ground-breaking data collection system ensures that the fastest and most accurate sources of data are delivered live from the action to the end user in less than a second.
IMG Arena processes official data for more than 45,000 sporting events per year. In 2019, more than 175 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 56 million unique viewers around the globe.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
The post Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
The post PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Bragg
Bragg to Attend the SBC Summit North America, 8-9 May, 2024
Bragg is going to attend the SBC Summit North America taking place at the Meadowlands exposition center, New Jersey in May.
“See you in the Garden State to discuss how Bragg’s full-service suite of market leading iGaming content and technology solutions can be tailored to suit the demands of the U.S. market. Connect with members of the team to learn ways Bragg can accelerate your business with our technology, content and managed services solutions. Discover more about our award-winning Player Account Management (PAM), which is leading the way across the European market and in multiple regulated markets. Learn how our cutting-edge content aggregation RGS which already integrates a host of casino, sportsbook and lottery operators and is supported by our leading gamification product Fuze,” the Company said.
Participate in an insightful discussion
Join Bragg Group Director of Content Doug Fallon and fellow panelists at SBC Summit North America to discuss how game design can be leveraged to deliver profitable products in the iGaming industry.
Don’t miss this great panel discussion “Game Design 101: Launching a Profitable Product” taking place on iGaming Stage 3 at 16:00 on Wednesday, May 8.
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