WHERE THE WORLDS OF SPORT, ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA & BETTING COLLIDE: UNOFFICIAL PARTNER AND LIVESCORE GROUP TEAM UP FOR CONVERGENCE BRAINSTORM LIVE EVENT
- The growing world of convergence comes to London for one night only with some of the biggest brands and panellists in the sports and betting industry
- Nine leading industry panellists will take to the stage during the event, including Sam Sadi (LiveScore Group), James Liddy (Deutsche Bank), Juan Delgado (FootballCo) and Elizabeth Dunn (Bird & Bird)
- In partnership with LiveScore Group, the exclusive event will be hosted at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford, London, 6-9pm on September 28th 2023
LiveScore Group – the global sports media business – and Unofficial Partner – the leading sports business podcast – are joining forces in London on September 28th to stage the industry’s greatest debate yet on the emerging topic of convergence.
Headlined by LiveScore Group’s CEO Sam Sadi, ‘The Unofficial Partner Convergence Brainstorm’ will bring together global experts on the impact of the convergence model within the sports media, betting, and entertainment industries.
Comprised of three brands including LiveScore, one of the world’s leading real-time sports updates and streaming service providers, and award-winning sportsbooks LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet, LiveScore Group has seen record-breaking success through its unique and pioneering model which converges the worlds of sports media and sports betting.
Taking place at the striking ArcelorMittal venue in Stratford, the event will feature a number of esteemed panellist guests – including leading executives from the likes of Deutsche Bank and FootballCo.
Three sets of three panellists will take to the stage to brainstorm an array of viewpoints, and opinions, each bringing different backgrounds in collaboration with a live audience. The evening will be led by podcast host Richard Gillis, and will subsequently feature in an upcoming Unofficial Partner podcast episode.
Confirmed Panellists Include:
- Sam Sadi – CEO at LiveScore Group
- Samuel Westberg – CRO & Co-Founder of Livelike
- James Liddy – Managing Director and Head of Gaming, Lodging & Leisure EMEA at Deutsche Bank
- Elizabeth Dunn – Partner (Sports & Gambling) at Bird & Bird LLP
- Juan Delgado – CEO at Footballco
- Elliot Richardson, One Football
- Nic Coward, Partner at Portas and chair of Sportable, Former EPL General Secretary and British Horseracing Authority CEO
What is convergence?
Against a wider backdrop of sports consumption becoming inefficient and uneconomical, modern sports fans are expected to navigate a fragmented ecosystem delivered by different brands and companies across various apps, platforms and devices. Completing basic and repeatable actions require managing multiple paid subscriptions and accounts.
LiveScore Group’s pioneering ‘convergence’ strategy improves the symbiotic relationship between the sports media and sports betting industries, delivering a better experience for its users. The group runs a connected ecosystem that converges the two sectors, with a model that is enhancing the experience for sports fans all over the world.
Through world-class sportsbooks and a dedicated media arm delivering content, news and real-time scores updates for fans – LiveScore Group showcases a successful and impactful convergence model.
Sam Sadi, CEO of LiveScore Group, commented:
“At LiveScore Group, we know that sports media and sports betting are long-term friends. Our convergence strategy is based on constructing an integrated ecosystem which delivers significantly better returns than that of just a betting operator or media company.
“That’s why I’m thrilled to invite the industry to openly examine the convergence model, to analyse how it works and consider its long-term potential. At LiveScore Group we are a living and breathing case study of its success, and I’m looking forward to a fantastic evening of debate.
Richard Gillis, Founder of Unofficial Partner, the sports business podcast company added:
“We’ve heard the hype around the convergence of sports media and betting. So, we’re going to put some difficult questions to a group of smart people and see what happens.
Where’s the money going to come from? That’s the issue facing every C Suite sports executive working today. If Gen Z ain’t buying the traditional sports subscription bundle, the numbers don’t add up.
So, what role will gambling money play, or be allowed to play in convergence? The implications of that question affect every sport, every gambling firm and most importantly, every sports fan.”
Tickets to The Unofficial Partner Convergence Brainstorm with LiveScore Group, are available here
Notes to editors:
About LiveScore Group
LiveScore Group is home to LiveScore, LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet, three of the most exciting brands in the sports and gaming industries today. The Group was demerged from the Gamesys group of companies (now part of Bally’s Corporation) in September 2019. LiveScore was previously acquired in 2017 as a means of moving into the sports media industry, while Virgin Bet was launched in 2019 following a partnership with Virgin to enter the sports betting market.
Whether it is LiveScore delivering real-time sports scores or free-to-air live streams to its users across 200 territories, or LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet offering innovative and trusted sportsbook betting opportunities, we bring our audiences closer than ever to the sports they love with our best-in-class products.
About LiveScore
Sitting at the true centre of our ecosystem, LiveScore™ was founded in 1998 and has evolved to become one of the world’s best loved sports media brands. As part of LiveScore Group, the brand has seen substantial growth with over 50 million daily users across more than 200 global territories. For more than two decades it has been an essential part of the match-day experience for football fans, the hero LiveScore app delivers world-class content and editorial alongside the fastest and most reliable updates on the matches that matter to them. The latest edition of the app features lightning-fast notifications, aggregated and curated news feeds and even post-match highlights of English Premier League matches. Player profile and rich team stats contribute to a further enhanced offering, in addition to live highlights as part of a seamless user experience.
About LiveScore Bet
LiveScore Bet™, is a sportsbook offering customers in the UK, Ireland, Nigeria and the Netherlands a new and improved betting experience within the LiveScore ecosystem. Building on the existing user relationship with the trusted LiveScore brand that is already a core part of the live sport experience, LiveScore Bet seeks to deliver a best-in-class product and represents a new opportunity for customers to bet responsibly. LiveScore Bet has been able to emerge from the crowd with a vibrant personality, a world-class product and demonstrable growth that has set it apart from the chasing pack. It is the fastest-growing sportsbook in the UK and the recent winner of a number of prestigious industry awards including Gaming Awards ‘Best Mobile Product of the Year 2023, EGR Operator 2022 “Rising Star”, SBC 2022 “Rising Star, EGR Marketing Awards “Innovation in Sports Betting”
About Virgin Bet
Launched in May 2019, Virgin Bet™ is one of the UK’s fastest growing Sportsbooks and winner of 2021 SBC’s ‘The Rising Star’ award. With access to a huge range of betting markets across all the top sports, as well as the nation’s most popular casino products, Virgin Bet delivers a top-quality experience for its customers and has the perfect line-up to disrupt the sportsbook industry. Virgin Bet fuses the values and principles of the virgin brand with the online gaming expertise of LiveScore Group to deliver a first-class customer experience
About Unofficial Partner
Unofficial Partner is the market leading podcast dedicated to exploring the business of sport. Its network of listeners is made up of senior decision makers within global sport, who value access to the smart, honest and entertaining content that is the UP hallmark.
Contact
For more information, please contact press@livescoregroup.com