Actions not words | Page 4

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Affiliate Monitor Actions not words

Actions not words

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It has been obvious for some while now that Better Collective dominates the igaming affiliate space like no other . That much is plain from the extent to which it has bought and built its way to such a scale that it is now almost too big for the sector .
From what the company talks about in its earnings calls , it is clear that it now sees itself as a sports media business rather than just a sports betting and affiliate company . The evidence is there in its recent acquisition of Playmaker Capital : what is being spoken about in that instance is the number of media views and site visits that the deal brings .
It points to how Better Collective will increasingly be looking at future acquisitions . Certainly , sports media brings with it the potential for further leveraging Better Collective ’ s affiliate marketing expertise . But this might not even be the major motivation for future M & A . Indeed , the way it speaks in its Q4 earnings call about its adtech capability , it seems obvious in which direction the company would like to be headed , at least in part .
What does this mean for the rest of the sector ? The lesson appears clear that getting bigger is still the goal for at

“ More deals from Gambling . com Group and GiG are likely ” least two of the leading players . Gambling . com Group and GiG Media have both enjoyed clearly successful quarters , rounding out very successful years . Acquisitions within the affiliate space still work for them and the evidence is there in both their results statements . More deals from both companies are likely , especially now that GiG Media is set to become a standalone entity within months .

As for what we might term the fallen giants of the sector , Catena Media and XLMedia , it seems clear that no matter what they say about refocusing on the North American market , they have been diminished by the recent sales of large portions of their businesses – and to their rivals too .
This reshaping of the sector landscape has been under way for some time and it seems to be very clear now who the winners and losers are from this process . The sector feels like one that is becoming increasingly concentrated at the top . It is a process which was arguably always going to happen in the listed space . Whether that is also going to be the case within the space overall is a question for another report . iGB Affiliate Monitor