ICE North America Digital - Day 2 ICE NA Digital Event Guide - Day 2-v6 | Page 13

INTERVIEW
Shaping the narrative: how affiliates are
responding to COVID-19
Just as the closures of land-based
casinos and cancellations of sporting
events have instigated dramatic
changes in the betting sector, the U.S.’
nascent affiliate market has had to
quickly adapt to a new and remarkable
environment caused by the ongoing
COVID-19 crisis, according to Michael
Daly, Vice President North America at
Catena Media.
As part of the gaming media, affiliates play a crucial
role in shaping the narrative around the outbreak.
Daly, who has over 15 years’ experience in the
industry, says that there are topics where affiliates in
their position as a news source can add value to the
conversation, but called for care in how and when
they add to the coverage.
“While the main media is focused on Coronavirus’
impact on a global and national scale, our sites
like PlayPennsylvania.com can be helpful reporting
on things like the status of benefits for land-based
casino workers in the state, or programs available
to assist the industry,” he said. “These we think are
stories that are credible, engaging and overlooked in
many other media sources.”
He also believes it is an affiliate’s responsibility to
keep consumers informed in this fast-changing
landscape with accurate information. With retail
betting locations shut for the foreseeable future,
more customers are looking to find out how and
where they can bet on sports or gamble online.
“That is our expertise and whether traffic is
decreased due to sports events cancelling or
increasing due to land-based options being
unavailable, our function continues to be to provide
the absolute best source of news and information to
accurately inform that consumer,” he said.
The COVID-19 outbreak has instigated a well-
reported spike in alternative content, from betting
on lesser known sports such as table tennis and
lower league hockey to events such as e-sports and
virtuals. Daly said that based on search volumes,
that increased interest has also been reflected
among readers.
consumers and operators,
in things like e-sports
and virtual sports, both
of which were relegated
to corners prior,” he said.
“This is great for exposure
of these burgeoning
industries, both of which
I would argue will have
a seat at the table in the
future world of what we
think of as ‘sports.’”
On whether the disruption
caused by COVID-19 has impacted development of
U.S. state markets, particularly those like Michigan,
Tennessee and Colorado that were on the cusp of
legalisation, he added: “Priorities for everyone had
to shift. The world had to shift. And, thankfully, we
all stepped up and focussed on the most important
things.
“These markets will come, some a little later than
originally anticipated, but they will come. The world
will come blazing back. People will want to try to go
back to ‘normal’ and definitely will want sports and
sports betting as much as they did before.”
He is also convinced that in the current state of play,
now is the time for corporate citizenship to come to
the fore and brand recognition to take a back seat.
“This is the time for companies to step-up and
help however they can, regardless of whether they
get recognition for it today,” he added. “The media
will pick up some on this as will other forms of
information sharing (Facebook, Instagram, etc) and
brands will be remembered for what they did or did
not do.”
Daly is set to discuss sports betting and gambling
regulation in the US, on 12 May. Click here to add
to your schedule of sessions you want to stream.
“Beyond the traditional sports (or non-traditional)
we are seeing a rising of interest level, by both
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