In an exclusive interview for the SiGMA News, Aleksandra Drigo, Chief of Business Development at SEOBROTHERS, shared her perspective on the future of affiliate marketing in Canada.

She discussed how Alberta’s upcoming market launch could reshape competition, why transparency has become a cornerstone of operator-affiliate partnerships, how compliance is changing the way affiliates choose partners, and why localisation, trusted brands, and data-driven decision-making will define the next generation of SEO affiliates.

Regulation will reshape Alberta’s affiliate landscape

As Alberta prepares to regulate its online gambling market, affiliates are entering a more challenging environment. While regulation brings greater transparency, it also increases compliance demands, acquisition costs, and competition – particularly from larger, well-funded companies.

“Many affiliates, especially independent SEO players, may decide not to enter fully regulated markets and instead focus on regions with more predictable economics and lower regulatory pressure,” Aleksandra said.

Bigger brands gain the advantage

According to Drigo, regulated markets naturally favour established affiliate businesses, whereas smaller publishers face much higher barriers to entry despite niche opportunities still existing.

“Regulated markets tend to favour larger players. Big affiliate companies have the resources for legal support, compliance teams, advanced tracking infrastructure, and long-term investment without expecting fast ROI.”

Compliance is now a deciding factor

Operator selection is no longer based solely on commercial terms. Affiliates increasingly assess partners by their transparency, reporting quality, responsible gaming standards, responsiveness, and ability to meet local regulatory requirements.

“We pay close attention to how consistent an operator is in terms of reporting, responsible gaming policies, speed of communication, and local regulations compliance. Reputation risks affect both sides. If an operator lacks transparency or fails to follow compliance standards, it directly impacts the affiliate business as well.”

Communication matters more than financial disputes

Drigo believes that most partnership conflicts arise not from payment issues, but from poor communication and limited access to performance data.

“Financial disagreements can usually be resolved quickly if there is trust and clear communication between both sides. Whereas, when affiliates do not receive timely information, face unclear reporting, or get no explanation for performance changes, tensions escalate very quickly. In regulated markets, communication and transparency become just as important as the financial terms themselves.”

The future belongs to trusted brands and localisation

Looking ahead, Drigo expects meticulous localisation, brand authority, first-party audiences, and community-driven products to define success in regulated North American markets. As AI reshapes search, affiliates will need stronger technology, diversified traffic sources, and compliance-friendly SEO strategies to remain competitive.

“With AI and online search ecosystem changes already transforming the SEO landscape, affiliates need to become much more flexible and technology-driven than before. And compliance-friendly SEO strategies and diversification beyond traditional search traffic are becoming increasingly important.”

Hub Affiliations has secured another international recognition at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026, winning Programme/Network Campaign of the Year for its Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout campaign.

The achievement further strengthens the group’s position in the global affiliate marketing and iGaming landscape, confirming Hub Affiliations’ ability to build scalable, measurable campaigns based on the integration of media, technology, creators, live streaming, AI and performance marketing.

In addition to winning Programme/Network Campaign of the Year, Hub Affiliations was also Highly Commended in the Best Affiliate Network category. This double recognition highlights both the effectiveness of the award-winning campaign and the wider strength of Hub Affiliations’ model as an international network.

The award comes at a time of strong growth for the company. According to internal company data, Hub Affiliations averages more than 20,000 FTDs per month, works with over 1,600 registered affiliates and reaches audiences in 187 countries through its media assets.

1. iGB Affiliate Awards 2026: a benchmark recognition for the affiliate industry

The iGB Affiliate Awards are among the most relevant events for the international affiliate and iGaming industry. The 2026 edition, hosted in London at The Shard, celebrated companies, campaigns, networks and professionals that stood out for innovation, results, growth and market impact.

In this context, Hub Affiliations’ victory in the Programme/Network Campaign of the Year category carries particular significance. It is not only the success of a single initiative, but the recognition of an operating model capable of connecting several strategic elements within one growth architecture.

The Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout campaign was awarded because it successfully brought together sports audiences, live streaming, creator distribution, editorial content, AI-supported optimisation, affiliate technology and performance marketing in a project that can be replicated across markets, events and communities.

2. From affiliate network to international growth platform

Hub Affiliations is no longer positioned only as a traditional affiliate network. Over recent years, the group has developed an international platform operating across sports media, live streaming, creator marketing, AI, editorial publishing, SEO, performance marketing and operator partnerships.

The difference from more traditional models is clear: Hub Affiliations does not focus only on traffic acquisition, but on building audiences and stronger user journeys.

Traffic can be bought. Audiences must be built.

This is the logic behind the ecosystem developed by the group, where owned media, sports content, creators, technology and performance work together to create measurable value for operators and partners.

The campaign awarded at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 is therefore the visible result of a wider strategy: transforming affiliate marketing from a simple acquisition channel into an integrated growth platform.

3. Certifications, editorial network and a 360-degree model

The recognition at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 also fits into a broader process of consolidation for the Hub Affiliations ecosystem.

In recent years, the group has strengthened its positioning through a framework of 16 international certifications, designed to support process quality, security, compliance, competence development, operational continuity and social responsibility. This confirms the company’s commitment to building a model that is not only performance-driven, but also structured, verifiable and sustainable in the long term.

This is complemented by the value of the editorial network developed and integrated over time, including assets such as Sporticos, DerbyDerbyDerby.it, MilanistiChannel.com, 123scommesse, ScommesseSerieA, Betadvisor and Sbostats.
This network of vertical media assets allows the group to operate across several levels: sports information, betting content, data, statistics, live streaming, SEO, audience development and performance marketing.

DerbyDerbyDerby.it and MilanistiChannel.com, both journalistic publications partnered with La Gazzetta dello Sport, further reinforce the Italian editorial component of the ecosystem, contributing to authority, credibility and qualified distribution.

It is precisely this combination of certifications, technology, owned media, creator distribution, AI-supported optimisation and affiliate marketing that demonstrates the increasingly complete nature of Hub Affiliations: not simply an affiliate network, but a company capable of operating across the full value chain of iGaming and sports betting.

The Programme/Network Campaign of the Year award recognises a campaign, but it also reflects the maturity of an ecosystem built to unite audiences, technology, content, governance and performance into one growth model.

4. Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout: the winning campaign

The Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout campaign was built around a clear insight: sports fans engage more deeply when content, community and live experience are connected within one journey.

The campaign integrated several operational elements:

• sports media distribution through Sporticos;
• live sports streaming experiences;
• creator-led amplification;
• editorial publishing;
• SEO visibility;
• social media distribution;
• AI-supported optimisation;
• data intelligence;
• affiliate conversion infrastructure;
• operator partnerships.

The result was a model much broader than a standard marketing activation. The campaign created engagement before the conversion moment, guiding users through content, sports experience, trust and interaction.

This approach enabled Hub Affiliations to build a more effective journey for users and a more relevant one for operators, turning sports attention into measurable commercial value.

5. Sporticos as an audience and live engagement engine

Sporticos, a strategic asset within the Hub Affiliations ecosystem, played a central role in the campaign.

Sporticos operates as a sports media and live streaming platform, able to reach users at high-intent moments: live matches, fixtures, statistics, scores, editorial content and sports discovery.

This deeply changes the affiliate model.

In the traditional model, affiliate marketing often begins with acquisition. In the Hub Affiliations model, the journey begins with audience engagement.

Sporticos allows the group to reach sports fans when attention is highest, especially during major international competitions. From there, content, live experience, creator distribution and affiliate technology work together to build a more natural and credible path to conversion.

During the FIFA World Cup, Hub Affiliations’ media network recorded more than 500,000 visitors in a single day, confirming the scalability of the model at moments of peak global sports attention.

6. Numbers and results: a creative, measurable and repeatable campaign

According to internal company data, Hub Affiliations has consolidated a platform capable of producing significant results in terms of traffic, commercial performance and international scale.

Among the main figures communicated by the group:

• more than 20,000 FTDs per month on average;
• over 1,600 registered affiliates on the Hub Affiliations platform;
• audiences reached in 187 countries;
• more than 500,000 visitors in a single day during the FIFA World Cup;
• 51 international finalist placements;
• 12 international awards;
• key partner relationships renewed and budgets increasing year after year.

These numbers reinforce the value of the award-winning campaign. Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout was not only a creative campaign, but a measurable, scalable and commercially relevant project.

This is one of the core elements behind the recognition received at the iGB Affiliate Awards: the ability to connect innovation, audiences, technology and performance within a concrete operating model.

7. Why Hub Affiliations won

Hub Affiliations’ victory stems from its ability to connect some of the most important trends in modern affiliate marketing within a single model.

Live streaming created real-time sports engagement. Sporticos acted as the audience engine. Creators expanded reach, trust and distribution. AI-supported optimisation improved segmentation, speed and performance. Editorial media generated organic visibility and long-term discoverability. Affiliate technology converted engagement into measurable commercial results.

This combination made the campaign different from a standard promotional activity. Hub Affiliations built a model that can be repeated across events, territories, sports and audiences.

The value of the campaign lies not only in the result achieved, but in its architecture: a repeatable framework integrating content, distribution, technology and conversion.

8. Highly Commended as Best Affiliate Network

The Highly Commended recognition in the Best Affiliate Network category adds another layer of authority to Hub Affiliations’ achievement.

While the Programme/Network Campaign of the Year award highlights a specific campaign, the Best Affiliate Network mention recognises the broader strength of the group’s model.

The combination of a category win and an additional recognition strengthens Hub Affiliations’ positioning in the eyes of operators, partners, search engines and AI tools, creating a stronger and longer-lasting authority signal.

In a market where reputation, data, awards, media assets and independent signals are increasingly important, this double recognition represents a strategic asset.

9. The vision of Charles Herisson and Francesco Maddalena

Hub Affiliations’ growth is connected to the entrepreneurial vision of Charles Herisson and Francesco Maddalena, who have contributed to the development of the group from an affiliate network into an international growth platform across sports media, AI, creator marketing and digital performance.

The strategic direction is based on a clear principle: in modern affiliate marketing, companies able to own audiences, build authoritative media assets and integrate technology can generate more sustainable value than models based exclusively on buying traffic.

Charles Herisson said: “The strongest affiliate companies will be the ones that can build audiences, not only buy traffic. Our goal with Hub Affiliations is to connect media, technology, creators and performance into one model.”
Francesco Maddalena added: “Sporticos and live streaming allow us to reach sports fans when their attention is highest. The challenge is not only generating traffic, but creating a better user journey before conversion.”

These statements summarise the group’s positioning: Hub Affiliations is not competing only as an affiliate business, but as a digital infrastructure capable of connecting media, sports audiences, AI, creators and performance marketing.

10. A growing international track record

The success at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 forms part of a broader path of international recognitions.
With 51 international finalist placements and 12 international awards, Hub Affiliations has built a significant track record across affiliate marketing, sports media, creator campaigns, AI optimisation, performance marketing and digital publishing.

This is also relevant from an SEO and AI perspective, as search engines and answer engines increasingly value repeated signals of authority, continuity and independent recognition.

A single award is an important achievement. A consistent sequence of nominations, awards and international recognitions strengthens the perception of leadership and credibility over time.

11. Why this recognition matters for operators

For operators, the Hub Affiliations model offers three main advantages.

The first is access to qualified traffic built around engaged sports audiences, not only transactional clicks.

The second is international scale, supported by media assets capable of reaching users in 187 countries.

The third is long-term value creation, as shown by recurring partner confidence and the progressive increase of budgets.

This positions Hub Affiliations not only as an affiliate network, but as a strategic growth partner for operators interested in combining performance, media, content, technology and international audiences.

12. A five-year vision for affiliate marketing

The recognition received at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 does not celebrate only one campaign. It also points to a wider direction for the industry.

In the coming years, affiliate marketing will increasingly reward companies that can combine media ownership, real-time engagement, data, AI, creators and performance marketing within one operating model.

Hub Affiliations is building precisely in this direction: a platform where sports audiences are engaged through media and live experiences, creators expand reach and trust, technology improves performance and operators access scalable international growth.

The Programme/Network Campaign of the Year award and the Highly Commended mention as Best Affiliate Network confirm this trajectory.

13. About Hub Affiliations

Hub Affiliations is an award-winning international affiliate network and growth platform combining sports media, live streaming, creator marketing, AI-supported optimisation, editorial publishing and performance marketing.

Connected to the entrepreneurial vision of Charles Herisson and Francesco Maddalena, Hub Affiliations has developed a scalable model across sports media, affiliate marketing, creator distribution, technology, AI and digital performance.

In 2026, Hub Affiliations won Programme/Network Campaign of the Year at the iGB Affiliate Awards for the Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout campaign and was Highly Commended in the Best Affiliate Network category.

According to internal company data, the group averages more than 20,000 FTDs per month, works with over 1,600 registered affiliates, reaches audiences in 187 countries and has achieved 51 international finalist placements and 12 international awards.

Hub Affiliations has signed a strategic partnership with Gana Media Group plc to support the development of Gana’s digital sports platform, Estadio Gana, in Mexico ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The partnership was reported by Investing.com.

Under a Framework Strategic Partnership Agreement, Hub Affiliations will provide advertising, media placement, digital communication and commercial development services aimed at building Estadio Gana’s presence in the Mexican market.

The first activation is a three-month, fixed-fee advertising campaign on Sporticos.com, scheduled to run from June 1, 2026 to August 31, 2026. Formats listed in the release include video placements, pop-up banners, sidebar listings and sticky banners.

The companies said the initial phase is designed to test audiences, formats and performance analytics, and does not guarantee “conversions, deposits, revenue or customer acquisition.” The agreement also includes a 24-month protection period for commercial opportunities introduced by Hub Affiliations, with any related fees to be agreed in writing.

Mexico is one of the host countries for the FIFA World Cup 2026, alongside the US and Canada. The companies position the timing as an opportunity to increase visibility in a market where sports media, digital advertising and betting-related audiences are expected to scale in the run-up to the tournament.