Andrew Wright

PAY TV MARKETING: This promo from New Zealand is for winter highlights across Rialto Channel. Rialto Channel is a bolt-on subsription available to SKY TV subscribers in New Zealand for NZD $11.18 a month (Equiv. of GBP £5.40, EURO €6.34, USD $6.90, AUD $10.38) With quality independent films, international films and documentaries, Rialto feels, at least to me, like the missing piece of the puzzel in the UK Pay TV landscape. It has the kind of unique, visually distinctive, stand-out content that you will find on other Pay TV services such as Canal Plus, Movistar and HBO, however much of the content you find on Rialto has never really found a home in the UK. Certainly many of these titles don't appear on traditional Pay TV, and instead arrive on the BBC after a number of years, or Channel 4 (with ad-breaks) often scheduled in the middle of the night. Fortunately, these days, the kinds of critically-acclaimed content featured on Rialto in New Zealand can now be found with the convenience of on-demand, on streaming services such as MUBI, BFI Player and The Criterion Channel. However, placed within a conventional Pay TV offer, Rialto's offer is often the kind of content that has the potential to bring a little bit of serendipity and suprise, keeping the offer fresh, aligning with award-winning, challenging and innovative directors, and helping to maintain the brand status of a disruptor and and an outsider in a market which is becoming increasingly homegenised and commoditised. This is certainly something that becomes evident when you compare Canal Plus in France vs. the UK Sky / Sky Cinema side-by-side. Some of these 'suprises' might just be the thing that re-invigorates the brand and stops longstanding subscribers from cancelling. The V.O. in this Rialto promo also presents something which is fundamentally different to conventional movie propositions: 'This Winter, witness the extraordinary'. - 'Discover critically-acclaimed, award-winning and exceptional storytelling from the masters of their craft'. - 'A spectacle of film to illuminate our past and inspire our future.' - 'This winter, the stars are shining bright.'  Although New Zealand is a realtively small TV market, there's something distinctive and powerful in Rialto's brand and positioning as 'The Storyteller' and I'd like to see just a sprinkling of that content and curation DNA appear in other, more mainstream movie products. Rialto Winter Upgrade Promo, SKY New Zealand, June, 2024. If you have questions about the products, marketing and strategy of Pay TV and Streaming businesses worldwide, or you'd like to see other examples such as those featured here, please reach out. #skynz #rialto #skycinema #brand #cinema #upgrade #paytv #marketing

2

1 Comment

As we await the New Zealand government to award up to 15 online casino licenses, (trading expected to start April 2026), due to the threat of competition from offshore online sports betting operators, legislation has been proposed to extend the current TAB NZ sports and horse racing monopoly to include online operations, effectively awarding TAB NZ a monopoly across the entire sports and betting market. #igaming #sportsbetting #casino

5

Dabble are the market leaders in Australia for app marketing atm. And they're surging because of it 📈 On the fringe of cracking the top 10 in Oz. • Custom creative • Lots of personality • The branding stops you from scrolling The attached Custom Product Pages (thanks MobileAction) shows how personalized your app marketing can be when you have the creative resources. #appgrowth #appmarketing #sportsbetting

99

1 Comment

2024 at C2 Media was a wild ride 🌟 Working with the incredible team at C2 Media has been a privilege I’ll never take for granted. When challenges hit us in Q1, the team didn’t just sit back. Instead, they rose up, shifting from their traditional roles to focus on the bigger picture. Our account managers weren't just managing campaigns anymore. They even took on new tasks like lead generation, crafting proposals, and closing deals. It wasn't just them. Teams across the board embraced whatever roles were necessary. The product manager dabbled in writing articles and learning SEO. The content marketing crew dove into the more technical SEO. It was wild and inspiring to witness. On the PR front, we ventured into Southeast Asia campaigns with partners like Antler and Agora, embracing experimentation at every turn. Yes, C2 can now help you make some noise beyond Indonesia =) Looking forward, personal branding is on our radar, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. This will be pivotal for B2B storytelling worldwide. We’re excited to embrace it. What lessons did 2024 teach you about adaptability? Let’s connect and share ideas for the year ahead. 🌏👋 PS. Merry Christmas and happy new year!!

20

3 Comments

So it's all about money. Not the lives ruined, and the kids hooked. No. It's the money. All ethics and morals are in the shape of dollar signs.  It's not up to the govt to prop-up failing businesses. The invisible hand of the free-market is perfectly capable of dealing with companies which lose their competitiveness. But there are some industries deemed too large to fail. We saw this during the GFC where the banks themselves were given taxpayer money to recover after destroying the economy via their own actions. And this propping up destroys the invisible hand of economic decision-making as laid by Adam Smith in 1776. So we accept that inefficient and badly-run companies will be pushed aside by newer, more nimble companies in the marketplace tug-of-war... ummmm, except these companies. As usual, the govt is fearful of fully allowing the efficiency of the market to do what is has always done; maintaining an equilibrim within the usual peaks and valleys. But I suppose the media companies should be considered like drug addicts; hooked on the easy money from the online gambling and now have to have their methadone injections to wean off the stuff. In fact, while the methadone injections are administered to the media companies, the govt will want gambling levels to remain high and continuing to ruin lives. One man's pain is another man's pleasure I suppose. But it's worse here. Because the businesses they are protecting are leeching off the suffering of the people caught in the gambling vise. Their new motto should be: Please gamble irresponsibly until the media companies right themselves. #gambling #addiction https://lnkd.in/gC_iQNYH

1

6 Comments

Star Casino in Sydney (Australia) Gave Away Millions in Cash Due to a Software Bug This isn't exactly news, but I wrote this article for a client to be published on gamesandcasino.com. The anchor text was "Australian online casinos," so that was pretty easy to fix. The 1000-word article had an intro, followed by the following subheadings: - How Did It Happen? - The Customers ( how did they find out and react to it) - The Response from Star Casino - Implications For Star Casino - Future Outlook I bet you it is a very interesting read. Here's a peek into the story. A software glitch in the system caused the casino to mistakenly give away a staggering $2 million to various players. Glitches can occur despite having robust security measures in place. What's particularly frustrating, as noted by Nick Weeks, the Manager of Star Casino, is that the malfunction went unnoticed for several weeks. He described it as "a major failure involving multiple individuals and teams," which accurately captures the severity of the situation. As word spread about the glitch, all roads led to Star Casino. Gambling addicts, homeless individuals, and people of all walks of life frequented the “43”. But one particular customer stood out: Than Lan Le. During her interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, she described her incredible journey of self-exclusion from gambling addiction. However, everything changed when her boyfriend broke the news to her.   "Who wouldn't want some free cash? She used the TICO machine multiple times over ten days at the Star Casino. She stated that she used the machine 34 times and withdrew a total of $57,265. "I was in this trance," she said, as she spent and lost $52,265 at the same casino." Just look at that! Of course, she was arrested alongside 42 others. But you know what? Star Casino has been in the news a lot lately for the wrong reasons. Somehow, they keep getting off the hook anyway. But, they have to do something, or else one day, they might not be so lucky. Again, this article isn't about Star Casino...it is all about my client who wants to put his casino affiliate site on the map. Want to do the same? I am just a dm away. Cheers.

1

New Zealand is planning to allow online casinos. Consider the small print and ravens before getting too optimistic. Firstly, only a small number of licenses will be available, and the plan is to auction them.  Secondly, licensed operators will be able to offer only online casino games, not sports betting or lottery products.  Advertising will be possible but strictly limited. The regulation system might be in place as early as 2026. I find it interesting that even countries with strict regulations turn neutral towards casinos. How does this news find you? #turbostars #turboplatform #turbogames #turbosportsbook #igamingsolutions #instantgames

50

5 Comments

Today, YouTube announced a nationwide consultation with Creators to give them a greater voice in Government and Industry - they're not being recognised as legitimate businesses or as a professional category which hinders their growth and investment. That's unfair and needs to be addressed. YouTube's been around for 20 years. It's now the second biggest website after google, and is watched more on TV in the US than Netflix. 📺 Moreover, it states that its creators have contributed more than £2BN to the UK economy and supported 45,000 jobs. Massive impact with very low barriers to entry - an entrepreneurs dream. 🤑 Creators are big business - and brands are ploughing sizeable amounts of money into using them as ambassadors, as economical ways of producing content, and as platforms to invest significant amounts of ad spend. 📈 But this needs to go both ways. There has to be more visibility into the true effectiveness of Creators content in relation to brand spend - cross platform - a True CPM. The old metrics of success are out of date. It's like when we used to sell ads on a tenancy basis. 🤪

26

4 Comments

CASINO SEO has become even MORE competitive. I've analysed hundreds of casino sites over the years - from Casinos to Affiliates, Betting to Crypto Casinos. There's TWO Sides to the coin: FOR ACTUAL CASINOS - it's all about BRAND TRUST, BRAND SIGNALS, GAME COVERAGE and BEHAVIOUR. FOR CASINO/BETTING AFFILIATES - it's all about TRUST, REVIEW COVERAGE, EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOUR - with more NUANCES. Casino affiliate sites would ALWAYS try to do one better than their competitiors - this is what fuelled the RIDICULOUS long form content growth for YEARS - we would see casino/betting affiliate sites putting out 10k word articles trying to write about EVERY SINGLE ASPECT of the casino/game/bonus - but CONSISTENTLY we always saw the same thing - POOR USER ENGAGEMENT. I can tell you now from SIGNIFICANT user interaction analysis PEOPLE DO NOT READ LONG FORM CASINO CONTENT - AT ALL. It's there for SEO. MILLIONS of SESSIONS of data - all with similar engagement patterns. PEOPLE ONLY READ AND ENGAGE WITH WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT / ARE LOOKING FOR OR MIGHT BE RELATED TO THEIR QUERY! Poor engagement behaviour is NOT an indicator of POOR CONTENT - quite the contrary. But it is an indicator that MOST of the content is a waste. IF A USER CLICKS OUT TO A CASINO OFF THE BACK OF A REVIEW i.e. Best No Deposit Casinos - they DIDN'T exhibit negative behaviour. BUT, if consistently content has no engagement - it CAN be a sign that the content is NOT HELPFUL (it can be GOOD QUALITY UNHELPFUL CONTENT). So - we see a shift towards the likes of MICRO SNIPPETS of information blended in with UGC + extensive game coverage. Sites like CASINO GURU who have seen RIDICULOUS traffic growth do one thing really well - DIGESTIBLE SHORT FORM INFORMATION. Casino Review Content Casino Reviw Content Type Casino Brand/Logo Safety Rating/Reputation Licensing Authority/Regulator Countries Accepted Countries Not Accepted Suggested Casinos for User Country Payment Methods Withdrawal Limits Casino Owner  Casino Establishment Casino Revenue Available Languages Game Providers (text) Game Providers (images) Game Types (text) Game Types (images) Bonuses Available Bonus Expiration Value of Free Spins Bonus Play Requirements Wagering Requirements Bonus Withdrawl Information User Reviews UGC Discussions UGC YOU MUST KEEP THIS IN MIND: GOOD CONTENT ISNT ALWAYS HELPFUL CONTENT HELPFUL CONTENT ISNT ALWAYS GOOD CONTENT This is CRUCIAL in a post HCU era. Make content for USERS not for search. The casino (affiliate) industry needs to learn this. Run a CASINO AFFILIATE SITE? Go set up Microsoft Clarity and look at scroll/interaction behaviour. Set up ENGAGEMENT EVENTS via GTM > DataLayer on key page elements to see what people click out on. Consider INFORMATION COMPRESSION + UX together - bring KEY INFORMATION together in priority order and assess engagement performance. At the same time: FOCUS ON BUILDING BRAND SEARCH VOLUME FOCUS ON LINK ACQUISITION VIA DIGITAL PR #seo #seotips

126

24 Comments

Bonus bets are driving risky gambling behaviors. Do they have to be prohibited? The Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) is calling for a ban on "bonus bets" and cashback offers in Australia. The reason is that "risk-free" bets are enticing and target susceptible players through personalized marketing. I believe responsible gambling isn't about banning every marketing activity. It's more sustainable to provide protective tools. For example, platforms ought to offer self-exclusion programmes and limit-setting tools. Operators should also use data insights to spot dangerous behaviors at an early stage. Another crucial thing is providing easy access to gambling support services. Moreover, the marketing narrative should focus on entertainment, not earnings. It's similar to fixing a pipe: You don't just shut off the water; you also need to repair the pipe, install the filters, and maintain the system regularly. #turbostars #turboplatform #turbogames #turbosportsbook #igamingsolutions #instantgames

33

4 Comments

Over the last 10 weeks of peak betting, here are the Top 13 most downloaded apps in Australia 🏇🍾 It's money season for bookmakers. September to mid-Nov is Spring Carnival horse racing, Australian football finals (AFL & NRL), and the NFL & NBA season launch. Plus UFC, EPL and other popular betting acronyms. So let's see who did well. 1 Sportsbet can't be beaten and the 68% growth vs the previous 10 weeks, shows their retention efforts worked well. 2. TAB is a comprehensive #2, which looks great for new CEO (Big Uncle) Gillon McLachlan - probably the most impressive app on the list. 3. The betr x BlueBet merger started well with strong marketing materials and effective database communications. 4. Ladbrokes Australia put up good numbers, with Neds possibly a little softer than expected (but they are navigating a significant rebrand too). 5. Palmerbet looks like one of the big winners - 169% growth over the period, with aggressive marketing. They're the only non-App Assassin client we see doing competitive app marketing 🥷 6. Dabble looks soft, but internal data probably shows that their customer loyalty is strong year-round based on their unique feature set. 7. Good season from the Australian-focused PointsBet too. The mature Aussie market looks pretty set and frankly, boring. That's why I wake up at 430am to take calls in the US 🗽🦅 Love to see live betting, online casino, Stake enter the market or another significant change shake things up. What's your take? #sportsbetting #appgrowth #mobilemarketing - - - Enjoyed this freestyle 🎤? Follow me (James) & ring the 🔔

46

5 Comments

🚀 Want to create high-performing ads that actually boost sales or generate Leads? I just uploaded a new video: "My Method to Create High-Performing Ads in Australia in 2025." 🎥 In this video, I share: ✅ The exact steps I use to craft video ads that grab attention and drive results. ✅ How to tailor ads specifically for the Australian market (because one size doesn’t fit all!). ✅ Key trends to watch in 2025 to stay ahead of the competition. Whether you’re a business owner or a marketer, this method can help you turn ad views into actual sales without increasing your budget. 💡 👉 Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/e4Q_gnSD I’d love to hear your thoughts—what’s the biggest challenge you face with your ads? Let me know in the comments! #VideoAds #MarketingStrategy #AustralianBusiness #AdTips2025

1

Calling all affiliates: Investment partners wanted (read below) I'm heading to iGaming Club in Malaga this Friday, hosted by Affpapa. I know a lot of affiliates are struggling right now within the current climate. So I want to connect with affiliate companies that need help growing, entering new markets, and improving revenue or efficiency. With my 17 years in affiliation and 5 years with a world-class operator, I've got the experience and network to help turn things around. My companies, Belianin and Already Media, are actively looking to buy, merge, invest in or partner with affiliates worldwide in any territory, using any traffic models, but SEO is the priority. We’re open to many cool options, partial investments, full buyouts, JVs. We have proven case studies of helping affiliate businesses boost revenue, profitability and even achieve successful exits. In the current climate, operational efficiency, entering new markets and transitioning away from SEO dependency is important. In some cases, we’ve managed to boost revenue by 15% in just a few months with this approach. Not going to be at iGaming Club? No worries, shoot me a DM anyway, and we can chat when I’m back. Looking forward to some great conversations on Friday! P.S. Feel free to tag someone in the comments that you feel I should connect with.

62

8 Comments

Oh look, more IM agency M&A! Hoozu bought 26 Talent Agency to grow in APAC region. Hoozu is a subsidiary of IZEA, an IM software and services platform. I wrote about IZEA last year when they bought Hoozu and Zuberance. Article here: https://lnkd.in/gU7P4GgZ This deal deserves a follow-up post and some more analysis, but I'm a bit backed up at the moment with other deal analysis. e.g. tomorrow my weekly deal newsletter drops with analysis of the recent acquistion of Hollywood talent mgmt co Untitled Entertainment by investor TPG, buying out the ownership stake from BOAT ROCKER. Like many other large PE shops, TPG wants to start a new talent mgmt venture, and roll up more talent-related businesses. My 2024 prediction about talent rep consolidation is happening faster than expected! -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

4