Strong interest in IMG/Betgenius tennis data tender with deadline close
Majority of interest from operators is in gold, silver and bronze-level licences - both parties expectant of a full quota of 12 gold licences by today's deadline.
Sports gaming provider Betgenius and media group IMG Media have received an “exciting” level of interest from egaming operators with the deadline for its exclusive tennis data tender only hours away.
The tender for live data from the ATP and WTA tours was opened earlier this month following IMG Media’s acquisition of a majority stake in sports data business Enetpulse, and significant interest has been shown in the gold, silver and bronze tier packages, covering 15,000, 11,000 and 8,000 matches respectively. All levels offered – including the 4,000-match entry-level option – cover data for the next four years of both tours.
Operators who take on data from IMG are offered the option of taking complementary trading and pricing services from Betgenius. The tender was distributed to more than 100 egaming operators, and under the tender model there is a limited number of licences available at the top three tiers (12 for gold, 15 for silver and 18 for bronze).
IMG Media VP, Digital Media Freddie Longe described the process as “A watershed moment for operators looking to expand their sports offering as a whole,” and suggested the interest in the three top tiers (rather than entry-level licences) demonstrates the strength of the overall proposition.
Longe told eGR: There’s a broad recognition that this product represents the strongest possible option for the next four years, and there seems to be more interest in the gold, silver and bronze levels, and less for entry-level, as a result. Excitingly, interest is coming from both established and the more aspirational operators out there”.
Betgenius chief commercial officer Jack Davison is not surprised at the level of interest “Tennis is hugely geared to the in-play market. It is both a popular consumer sport and a brilliant betting sport on the basis of how points are scored, length of matches, the fact that it takes place the whole year round and also its global reach,” he explained to eGR. “The fact that IMG can guarantee robust and reliable supply of data for the next 4 years is what is driving the level of engagement”
Davison added that: “The interest is coming from operators across the globe, even those in territories which have in-play legislation restrictions, such as Australia, where forward thinking operators are gearing up for their future needs”
Australia’s federal government began a crackdown on the advertisement of live odds in sports stadia last year, however according to press reports earlier this year the country could be set to soften its stance on in-play betting and may yet roll out new legislation on the matter before the end of this year or in early 2013.