Affiliate group XLMedia has expanded its partnership with US publisher Advance Local to provide premium wagering content to potential Massachusetts sports bettors via the MassLive.com brand.
XLMedia already holds a partnership with Advance Local, one of the largest media groups in the US, which boasts a localised presence across several states.
Under its existing partnership, XLMedia is partnered with Advance Local property cleveland.com, where the affiliate has helped fuel the brand’s sports betting growth in the Ohio market since February 2022.
MassLive.com represents the second Advance Local property to be included in the agreement, and will focus on the creation of engaging sports betting content and the management of commercial deals with regulated sportsbooks, allowing Advance Local to add a further revenue stream to the brand.
MassLive.com currently attracts an average of 6.5 million unique visitors each month.
“We are pleased to be announcing another key strategic partnership ahead of Massachusetts’ sports betting launch next year, in what we believe will be another important growth territory for the group,” said XLMedia CEO David King.
“This deal also expands our strong partnership with the Advance Local team and further demonstrates one of our strategic ambitions to align with premium publishers in key sports betting markets.”
Advance Local VP of sports betting & iGaming Howard Kamen: “We’re excited for MassLive.com to become a go-to resource for both novice and experienced bettors as the state moves to legalise sports betting – creating a new content vertical and revenue stream for the property.”
Howard Kamen, VP of sports betting & iGaming at Advance Local, added: “XLMedia’s impressive betting content and results to date in Ohio gave us great confidence to work with their team in Massachusetts, another key market for us.
“We’re excited for MassLive.com to become a go-to resource for both novice and experienced bettors as the state moves to legalise sports betting – creating a new content vertical and revenue stream for the property.”
While Massachusetts has made significant progress towards launching its online sports betting market this year, it is still not expected to launch for several months, at least.
Last week, Commissioner Bradford Hill of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said that neither the state’s first online nor retail sportsbooks would be able to open in the coming weeks.
Citing a report from a Boston sports radio station that said the first retail books could open in the next three weeks, Hill said: “Obviously, that’s not going to happen.
“I hope that the media can understand that putting information like that out to popular shows is very harmful to the process,” Hill added. “And if they want the information and correct information, they can tune into us almost weekly, from this point on, and get updates on what’s going on.”
Regulators in the state have indicated that the market launch will likely take place in late 2022 at the earliest, if not early 2023.
In addition to its partnership with XLMedia, Advance Local also holds a New Jersey-based partnership with affiliate competitor Catena Media, which now provides online casino and sports betting content to the media group’s NJ.com brand.
In July, XLMedia revealed that US markets made up the majority of its H1 2022 revenue, as the region saw more than fivefold year-on-year growth to $30.2m. That figure represented 67.9% of the group’s overall $44.5m in H1 revenue.
Affiliate group Catena Media has signed its first large media agreement in North America; a multi-year partnership to provide online casino and sports betting content to the New Jersey-focused news and information website NJ.com.
Catena said the partnership will broaden its North American audience for online gambling content, as the affiliate will provide NJ.com readers with information about trends and opportunities in sports betting and iGaming while actively promoting a safe betting culture in North America.
Dustin Gouker, vice president of Catena’s North American content operations, said: “This is a forward-looking opportunity for Catena Media, allowing our sports betting experts to engage directly with a broader audience in the New Jersey market and nationally.
“Our goal is to help readers become more informed with sports betting and online casino products and to help promote a safer and more productive gaming culture.”
Howard Kamen, VP of sports betting and iGaming at Advance Local, added: “Sports betting and online casino gaming are rapidly evolving in New Jersey and beyond, and this partnership with Catena Media is a fantastic way for us to engage our readers with top-notch content and help them to better understand the landscape.”
Catena Media VP of North American content operations Dustin Gouker: “Our goal is to help readers become more informed with sports betting and online casino products and to help promote a safer and more productive gaming culture.”
The deal will see Catena share affiliate revenue with Advance Local, the owner of NJ.com. Catena said it expects the deal to be earnings enhancing from late Q3.
Advance Local is an American company comprising several different businesses including media groups, technology solutions and marketing agencies.
Within its media division, Advance Local boasts a localised presence in several US states including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Oregon and New Jersey.
North America is becoming an increasingly important region for Catena Media, as its presence in the market led the business to generate record revenue of €45.2m in Q1 2022, in spite of a 14.9% revenue downturn in its other active markets.
North American markets accounted for €29.5m, or 65.2%, of total revenue during the quarter.
Back in Q4 2021, Catena said that it expected revenue in North America to surpass $100m this year.
Catena’s main competitor in the gaming affiliate space, Better Collective, has a head start on the firm with regards to its media partnerships.
Better Collective already holds agreements with both the New York Post and Philadelphia Inquirer, two of the largest and most established newspaper brands in the US.