SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Video content can be one of the best ways of interacting with new audiences both in the build up to and throughout a major sports tournament. With that in mind we caught up with Joe Ryan, Head of Video and Audio & Presenter at Better Collective, to discuss why ‘The Big Stage’ by bettingexpert has proved to be such a popular information source for bettors ahead of Euro 2020.
As part of this month’s Better Collective Spotlight, he spoke about how the video series has drawn upon expert insights to engage with sports fans, adding that its interactive nature has helped it to stand out from the crowd.
SBC: Can you tell us a little bit about The Big Stage – what does it entail?
JR: The Big Stage is a new show created by bettingexpert, which aims to preview all the big events in the sporting calendar. Right now, the key focus is on Euro 2020.
The show will be built on opinions, answering questions from fans, as well as providing insightful betting information. We will discuss topics, such as, ‘Who will be the best goal scorer?’, ‘Who will be the top player?’, ‘Who will be playing for England?’, and similar.
So far we have done three preview shows as a prelude to the Euros, we have one more to go, and after that, we will be reacting to the past games and previewing upcoming games.
SBC: How can the insights from prominent names in the sports industry such as Wayne Bridge and Rory Jennings help drive engagement with bettors ahead of the Euros?
JR: Wayne Bridge is a Chelsea legend and former England international who knows what it takes to perform on the big stage, while Rory Jennings is building a significant following of his own based on his football expertise, so having the two of them on the show gives us a great opportunity to drive engagement within the bettingexpert community.
The aim of the show is to be highly interactive – we want to utilize the community, talk about their tips, answer their questions and provide them with the most informed betting angles from our expert guests.
SBC: The Euros will arguably become the largest sporting event to take place since the pandemic began back in March 2020. With this in mind, how can operators create added value for punters?
JR: Providing the punters with as much useful insights and analysis as possible to enrich their experience is definitely the way to go. It is a very competitive landscape, but what sets us apart from our competitors is trying to be as interactive as possible – we are listening to the viewers and we aim for them to be part of the show. Also we are not afraid to share our opinion and back them up with a strong analysis and stats, regardless of how bold they may sound.
SBC: How much of a role is video content playing for Better Collective brands when it comes to reaching new audiences? And will we see more companies making better use of it in the future?
JR: Audiences tend to interact and engage the most with video content, which is why it has been one of our goals to incorporate video in our brands’ strategies. We are trying to do a lot more collaborations with people who are known to wider audiences, and connect our betting insights to their expertise. This way, new audiences can discover bettingexpert and become a part of the community. Important to mention is also the ‘second screen experience’.
These days, people are watching games on TV, but they are looking at social media, or analytical or reactional videos at the same time. We want to enrich the second screen experience for our community.
Regarding other companies and their use of video content, since video is where the audience is going, they will have to invest time and energy into creating content in that space if they want to maintain and grow their customer base while bringing them the best experience possible.
SBC: And finally, what are your predictions for the Euros?
JR: Well, of course this is where I’d like to say you need to watch The Big Stage and you will find out!
But to give a sneak peek, one of my bold predictions is that Cristiano Ronaldo will not score a goal in the tournament. I think he will be singled out by France and Germany (two nations he has never scored against in 10 attempts) and Hungary could easily park the bus and frustrate CR7.
As for the tournament overall… Being a proud English man, I believe that England will win the Euros and that football will finally come home.
