UP280 The Race to Convergence

There's a race on to define the next era of the sports business. The winners will reap enormous financial returns. The losers will likely disappear from view. Sports media and gambling have always been bedfellows. But what comes next is a complete convergence of the two, a seamless offer that puts betting at the very centre of the business model.  The appeal is obvious: Gambling companies gain access to valuable new customers; sports teams and leagues gain new licensing opportunities and fan engagement channels; and media companies retain and increase viewer interest, driving increased advertising revenue. But there are barriers too: cost of technology, the threat of legislation and the basic marketing problem of differentiation between the mass of platforms now available to fans.We discuss each of these with today's guest Sam Sadi, CEO of gaming and media business, LiveScore Group, one of the runners in the convergence race which delivers real-time sports scores and free-to-air live streams along with gambling opportunities via LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet. The company recently received a £50m strategic investment from Swiss media company Ringier, which values the LiveScore Group business at £500m.As you'll hear, this is a frank and often revealing conversation about one of the most important macro trends in the sports business today. Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.