South of the border

Better Collective has recently acquired Torcedores.com, the latest purchase in Better Collective’s LatAm expansion; do you see the current situation in LatAm as a rush to acquire as many local companies as possible before sports betting is fully regulated?
  M&A plays an important role in our growth strategy. We follow the same playbook in South America, which has proved successful in both Europe and the US.
  When evaluating potential acquisition targets we look for sports media with a strong presence, great content and a loyal audience of sports fans - here Torcedores.com fitted perfectly with our strategy and our vision to become the leading digital sports media group. Our long-term ambition is to make us the go-to partner for businesses that want to activate their brand in a sports context – whether it is sportsbooks or partners from other industries.

Why were the deal’s details not disclosed to the public? Is this something that’ll be public in the next quarterly report?
  We decided not to disclose the purchasing price so it is not something we disclose in our quarterly report either.

In terms of your role, how has it changed in the last five years or so?
  I joined Better Collective almost five years ago and have since been involved in various parts of the business - e.g. establishing our Media Partnerships division together with a talented team. I relocated to Rio de Janeiro with my family almost half a year ago to build a dedicated Better Collective South American organisation, and I am pleased we have already managed to onboard some very strong talent. It is safe to say it has been some adventure and I am confident that the next years here in Brazil and South America will bring new exciting things for Better Collective, me and my family.

What do you expect will happen in the LatAm affiliate market in the next five years? Is the name of the game constant mergers and acquisitions to ensure that Better Collective remains the largest affiliate for the foreseeable future?
  We expect some consolidation in the market, which we have seen in both Europe and the US post regulation. We see this as a natural evolution following the regulation of the market. With a vision to become the leading digital sports media group globally we have a clear ambition to be a leader in this important region as well. Our ambition is to utilise our strengths of creating content that excites, attracts and retains our audience while deploying our diversified revenue streams to grow our brands. As a group, M&A is an important part of our strategy as we fundamentally believe that localisation and cultural understanding of each market is crucial to produce content that excites and engages sports fans – which again strengthens our opportunities to create results for our partners.