Entain further ramps up its Australian racing content

Entain has recruited journalist, broadcaster and former Tabcorp head of media relations Adam Hamilton to serve as the new face of the Ladbrokes Australia brand.

Hamilton will join as head of talent and content development, having spent more than nine years with Tabcorp in similar media-related executive roles.

A veteran of the horseracing industry, he has spent 22 years as sports betting writer for the Melbourne Herald Sun.

Hailing the addition of Hamilton to Entain’s content arsenal, Entain Australia CEO Dean Shannon cited the potential for greater quality content going into the Spring Racing Carnival series, which takes place in October and November.

“We are really excited about taking the content we produce to a level of quality not previously seen in Australia,” Shannon explained.

“Adam brings to the table not only wealth of experience, but established relationships within the racing industry.

“He is very well regarded and extremely knowledgeable. We know he will be a great fit for Ladbrokes,” the Entain Australia CEO added.

Hamilton will continue to be based in Melbourne as part of his new role with Entain.

“I have been fortunate enough to have been in around racing most of my life and I love the passion and emotions that come hand-in-hand with the sport,” he said.

“The unbridled joy that comes with winning a race, be it at a Group 1 at Flemington or a benchmark race in the bush is unsurpassed and I was drawn to the content Andy [Hoad] and his team are already putting together,” he added.

The appointment comes as part of a three-month wider investment aimed at creating high-quality content which has involved the creation of a dedicated in-house content team.

Ladbrokes videos have attracted 40 million unique views, with profile interviews with trainer Mitchell Beer and champion jockey Glen Boss among those most watched by Aussie punters.

To support this investment, Entain recruited former NEP and Fox Sports senior producer Andrew Hoad to serve as general manager of content and entertainment for Entain in the region in April.

Discussing the drive towards in-house content, Hoad explained: “We are unashamedly a racing-led business, and we are relishing the opportunity to tell the stories of the cracking characters who put the show on every day.

“It is looking at racing through a whole new lens and we have only scratched the surface of what we are hoping to achieve.

“We can’t wait to continue to build out the team as we push towards Spring Carnival,” Hoad added.

Australian horseracing has continued throughout 2020 and 2021 and was largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, in comparison to international horseracing, which was cancelled or had its fixtures list reduced.