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Affiliate Monitor The great divide
Daly stresses that the company continues to plough onwards with a “ clear focus ” that , notably , foregrounds affiliation .
“ We see ourselves primarily as an affiliate business and focusing on revenue streams from this line of work ,” he suggests . “ We recognise that other companies may have expanded via acquisitions into different verticals which would make them compete with larger media companies such as ESPN and CNBC , whereas our strategy is more streamlined .”
Still , he insists Catena Media isn ’ t operating in isolation to the broader trends evident within the space or ignoring market trends . “ We carefully monitor market movements and adapt ,” he says .
“ The affiliate market is large and diverse with plenty of room for different players to thrive in different niches . So , it ’ s not just about outperforming others , it ’ s about continually improving ourselves and delivering sustainable value to our stakeholders .”
SIZE MATTERS
It would be hard to argue that a public shift in strategic focus makes much of a difference to how Better Collective goes about its actual revenue-generating business . As Ben Robinson , partner at RB Capital , says , it is hard to envisage the company “ doing anything majorly different ”.
“ They won ’ t stop link building or making sure their portfolio of assets is doing well ,” he says . “ They would lose rankings if they didn ’ t stick to the knitting . This stuff they are touting [ about digital sports media ] – I actually think it is more likely their comments are reflecting their desire to be seen in a different light .”
A more valid concern , potentially , is that by growing so big , Better Collective leaves itself at risk of being disrupted by smaller , more agile competitors . Armitage recalls a time in his career when he was at spread betting group IG which was the equivalent “ true behemoth ” in the sector .
“ As with any industry , lean and agile competitors would appear to chip away at our position of dominance ,” he says . “ I think the same will occur within the affiliate space . Hats off to what Better Collective has built to date and I ’ m sure that they will continue to succeed .
“ However , with such scale , the ship will become slower to turn and opportunities will be either missed or slow to be executed in the years ahead . The question is which competitors , large or small , will be the ones to benefit most as the sector evolves .”
Rather than be intimidated by Better Collective ’ s size , this argument runs , competitors might see where they can achieve “ small gains against the giant ”.
Moreover , as Robinson suggests , with Better Collective more likely to be eyeing bigger prizes that might “ move the needle ”, it leaves room for the smaller affiliates to pick up deals that a larger organisation such as Better Collective might not wish to spend the time and resources pursuing .
SHOP ’ TIL YOU DROP
Looking up the value chain as opposed to down , it is noteworthy that Better Collective isn ’ t the only company within the wider iGB Affiliate Monitor