Interactive XB NET N. AMERICAN HORSE RACING
the extent that it can take a long-term place in their broader entertainment interests. Particularly given its quick-fire events which conveniently fill the recreational gaps for bettors. Providing the right content at the right time remains so important, and our broad portfolio of low-latency racing products and racetracks delivers that flexibility.
Terefore, during a time that will be remembered as a period of great adaptation, it’s no surprise that operators are learning to adapt their offerings to accommodate changing appetites. Tis historic hiatus in the sporting calendar will definitely rewire some of those player preferences and we’re confident that North American racing is finding its way into the hearts and routines of untapped audiences that may have otherwise overlooked it.
More broadly, as British, Irish and French also return from the sidelines to join parts of Australia, New Zealand and Japan, racing’s visibility has improved. As has its ability to
During a time that will be remembered as a period of great adaptation, it’s no surprise that operators are learning to adapt their offerings to accommodate changing appetites. This historic hiatus in the sporting calendar will definitely rewire some of those player preferences and we’re confident that North American racing is finding its way into the hearts and routines of untapped audiences that may have otherwise overlooked it.
approaches with SNAI, MST and GVC Eurobet in Italy, whose domestic racing had faced steady year-on-year declines even before the coronavirus outbreak. So, as Italy now bids to rebound from lockdown, these operator dials must be set correctly in order to ensure a great joined-up betting experience across online, mobile and struggling retail channels.
While it’s always great to plan globally, you need to remember to deliver a flexible enough solution that works locally. Live, premium daily sport is ostensibly an easy sell wherever you are in the world, particularly in the current climate. However, if that sport’s betting markets are consistent and familiar to customers, as they are with North American racing, then that traction will take hold more quickly and prove long-lasting.
After all, we’re all creatures of habit. And habits are patterns of repeated behaviour which are often tied to a particular context or environment. Tat environment could be your
sofa at the end of the day, watching Netflix. For more and more of us under lockdown, it certainly appears to be the case! Although that’s not to say increasing numbers aren’t flipping the channel to watch some North American racing instead – especially rudderless sports fans.
XB Net’s ongoing partnership with Sky Sports is providing an eloquent case in point. Tese live nightly pictures - coupled to Sky’s friendly, informative analysis - have been instructive in initiating and accustoming many new viewers to North American racing, for which we’ve seen record audience figures in April and May in the UK, across weekdays and Saturdays. Te signs are this trend will only extend, thanks to Sky’s mainstream home schooling.
Granted, when major sports do eventually return in a dependable fashion, most fans will revisit old haunts. Yet our developing retention figures strongly suggest that many heads have now been turned by North American racing to
connect with a modern audience which may have mistakenly viewed it as a specialist sport with legacy appeal.
Tis is fantastic news for the sport we love, especially with so many marquee events now back-loaded to later in the season. Of course, for US fans, we still have the Breeders’ Cup and hopefully a rejigged Triple Crown to come, with XB Net’s very own Preakness Stakes from Pimlico (where legends like Seabiscuit and Secretariat have both raced to victory) still on the cards for the autumn. Elsewhere, this year’s Florida Derby series (whose winner has punched a ticket to Kentucky’s main event) was just another storyline which connected with a global public outside its local sphere for the first time this year.
So, whether a hard diet of Netflix, North American racing or something slower-paced is keeping you smiling during the long lockdown evenings, horse racing is well and truly back on entertainment’s recommendation engine.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P125
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
