
Live From Sportel Monaco: Sportradar's Steve Byrd on the Sports Gambling/Sports Broadcasting Paradigm Growth in sports betting boosts demand for video services to bookmakers By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 10:36 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Sportradar has been at the center of sports data and gambling for some time, with Betradar providing all the services required to run a bookmaker operation. The company also works closely with major sports leagues that want to provide video services to bookmakers. At Sportel, the international TV-sports-market event in Monaco this week, Sportradar CCO Steve Byrd discussed the current state of sports gambling as it relates to sports broadcasting with SVG's Ken Kerschbaumer.
Steve Byrd says state legislatures that are learning the ins and outs of legalized gambling are delaying the rollout of gambling across the U.S.
In general, what is the interest in gambling here at Sportel?
A big part of Sportradar's business that we do at this show is the streaming that we do: 45,000 live games a year to betting operators globally where you can watch either in the retail environment or online or on mobile devices. We're here meeting the rightsholders and acquiring the rights to be able to deliver that to betting, and we do that for every MLB game, every NBA game, and, starting this year, every NFL game in certain international markets. We just keep growing the portfolio, and the demand from bookmakers continues to grow for live video content as part of their marketing toolkit and to have moving pictures for the bettors to see, come in, and place a bet. It's not a viewing experience like a full game you would watch at home, but it is intended to have data and information tied into the video and gives people more information, so they are more interested in betting on what they are watching. And that is a big growth business for us.
There is a lot of potential and hope around gambling. What is your sense of the hope vs. the hype in the U.S.?
It has been slower than expected in the U.S. because of the state-by-state nature and the political process. There are state legislatures that have never dealt with a lot of the complexities of this issue. And the fact that they are all doing it a little bit differently has slowed things down significantly. But we see the trends, and, as markets open up, the volume is there. So it's just a matter of getting fully open. That's critical with mobile and multiple options for the consumer. If it's only one licensed operator, if it's only retail, or if there are other restrictions then the market is going to stay offshore and underground. But if they do it like New Jersey has done it, within a year, you're bigger than Las Vegas, which is pretty incredible if you think about it. I think they certainly were ready and did it the right way. And I think states will modify as they go along so they can see the tax revenue they expect. Hopefully, they will watch and learn and continue to accelerate.
What do you see as the opportunity for a regional sports network vs. a national network?
Given the state-by-state nature [of sports-betting legalization], the RSNs are in a particularly good spot because those RSNs in markets where betting has been regulated can be a very focused marketing platform and customer-acquisition partner for the licensed operators. I think that is easier to do than on a national basis right now. It does depend on the sport being broadcast as the leagues have different profiles around how much of the betting information and content they want in the productions, and I do think that, as the technology and OTT platforms continue to thrive, you'll see different productions aimed at different people in much the way the RSNs have tested out betting commentary and content on the screen.
What do you see as the opportunity of in-game betting vs. the traditional way of betting in the U.S., which is prior to the event?
In the U.S., traditionally and culturally, we think about going to a sports book and placing a bet before the game or maybe at halftime. That's not the way the rest of the world does it. As the [U.S.] market matures, the option to place bets in-game will be offered, and it has to be a mobile platform to make that work. But that is the majority of betting in the rest of the world, and it's what drives Sportsradar's business because one of our core competencies is live odds as the gameplay happens with the algorithms and technology we've built up. It's definitely the future, and it is where the volume is.
It's interesting because people think prop bets, like who will do the next something, when they think of in-play betting. And there certainly are prop bets that are available, but those are usually more of a marketing opportunity because people think it's interesting and fun. But the dollars are pretty low relative to the basics of who is going to win, by how much, and how many points are going to be scored. Prop bets are fun, and it does create engagement, but it is not where the majority of the betting is.
Do you think that, regardless of whether a sports network has gambling-specific programming or feeds, there will still be strong benefits because viewer engagement will go up?
That certainly is what the leagues are anticipating out of this. As their partner, we are trying to help drive betting infotainment content to our media clients and interesting markets for the bookmakers with our data and live odds so there is more fan engagement and people have a more vested interest in the game. Plus, there will be straight marketing opportunities for the networks from the licensed bookmakers who will want to reach that audience. So there is direct revenue and fan engagement.
Is there any chanc
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
03/09/2026
Yospace will be at IBC from 11th - 14th September (booth 5.C78). For more inform...
03/09/2026
NEP Group has announced leadership changes at Creative Technology Group. Founder and CEO Graham Andrews will step away from day-to-day leadership at the end of ...
03/09/2026
The NFL and TikTok have announced a multi-year partnership renewal expanding the league's presence on the platform. NFL posts on TikTok increased more than ...
03/09/2026
Grass Valley has appointed Ronny Van Geel as Vice President, Cameras. Van Geel began his career in 1999 at Philips DVS and moved into product management in 2005...
03/09/2026
Telestream has announced Vantage Super Resolution, an AI-powered upscaling capability for the Vantage media workflow platform, developed in collaboration with N...
03/09/2026
Solid State Logic (SSL) will debut the TCA Tour at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Stand 8.B45), a portable production system built from System T components in a desktop frame...
03/09/2026
DPA Microphones has announced the 6388 CORE Headset Microphone, making its debut at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Stand D60). The supercardioid headset features a physicall...
03/09/2026
Qvest will present a multi-vendor Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) showcase at IBC2026 (Booth 10.C24), demonstrating how the EBU's DMF architecture can be imple...
03/09/2026
Imagine Communications will showcase the Magellan PanelFlex control surface and other control portfolio updates at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, Septembe...
03/09/2026
Bridge Technologies will announce at IBC2026 (Booth 1.A71) that its VB440 production probe is now available as a software-based solution, deployable on commerci...
03/09/2026
Audio-Technica has unveiled the BP350ST MS (mid-side) microphone in two versions: the camera-mount BP350ST-UL and the boundary or gooseneck-mountable BP350ST-UB...
03/09/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce updates to the J nger Audio flexAI audio processin...
03/09/2026
DUNKMAN, the professional dunk league founded by Shaquille O'Neal in partner...
03/09/2026
Orlando's WRDQ TV 27, WFTV Channel 9 previously named over-the-air broadcast...
03/09/2026
EverPass Media has announced a multi-year commercial distribution agreement with Netflix, expanding on an existing partnership that has delivered NFL Christmas ...
03/09/2026
Yahoo Sports and Apple TV have announced a partnership to deliver alternate broadcasts of select Friday Night Baseball and MLS games on the Yahoo Sports website...
03/09/2026
With another academic year underway, college athletic departments across the cou...
03/09/2026
Facility becomes permanent home of NFL Live on Sept. 9; centerpiece studio for c...
03/09/2026
Create musical synth bass sounds from scratch
Anthony Marinelli Music have recently announced the launch of Bass DNA, a new online course that teaches music...
03/09/2026
Most powerful Tonex hardware to date
IK Multimedia's latest release introduces their most advanced Tonex hardware unit to date, combining their AI Machi...
03/09/2026
Upmix & downmix software upgraded
Penteo Audio Plugins have announced that the latest version of their powerful upmix and downmix software is now available....
03/09/2026
With the start of the new apprenticeship year, young talent has once again begun their professional careers at SGL Carbon's sites in Germany. Recently, the ...
03/09/2026
With the industry increasingly embracing hybrid, software-defined production models, Calrec will preview a series of Argo and ImPulseV software enhancements at ...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
Recognizing the ever-increasing demands for media throughput in challenging environments like post-production, two leaders in network technology have worked tog...
03/09/2026
EVS, a leader in live video technology and production infrastructure solutions, and Matrox Video, a leader in software-defined media technology and IP-based vid...
03/09/2026
AJA Debuts OG-FiDO-4 openGear Four-Channel SDI/Fiber Conversion Cards
Brie Clayton September 3, 2026
0 Comments
New product family expands 12G-SDI and...
03/09/2026
Nice Touch launches V2 of its AI edit assistant for professional editors
Brie Clayton September 3, 2026
0 Comments
Built by two editors with twelve ye...
03/09/2026
Accedo, a global provider of video streaming software and services, and MediaKind, a world-leading video technology company and the number one independent provi...
03/09/2026
International research from Big Blue Marble puts a consumer churn number against a technical failure, and sets out what streaming providers must fix before 2030...
03/09/2026
High-performance points of presence power video streaming delivery to large audiences across Latin America with guaranteed quality of experience
Broadpeak , a ...
03/09/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, will unveil the next evolution of Dalia at IBC2026 (7.A43), its media-aware agent...
03/09/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the world's largest independent IT and business consulting services firms, will showcase CGI OpenMedia Evolve and CGI d...
03/09/2026
LiveU is participating in the IBC Accelerator Incubator 2026: Smart Stories The New Knowledge Architecture for Content Production, an industry-wide initiative...
03/09/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, has taken another major step in its...
03/09/2026
Quortex today announced that it will showcase how it is accelerating innovation and the transition to IP at IBC 2026. The company will debut its newest intellig...
03/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/09/2026
The EZDRM approach to Revenue Security on streaming video can be visualized as a multi-dimensional set of solutions. A growing dimension of that approach is the...
03/09/2026
From field capture to management, control and production, Kiloview will demonstrate one connected Hybrid AV-over-IP workflow including a complete 4RU producti...
03/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced Mediagenix Curation, a new...
03/09/2026
LucidLink, the Emmy-winning cloud-native file streaming platform for instant, secure access to large files, today announced the next step in its vision to make ...
03/09/2026
Fraudulent communications purportedly from Screen Australia 3 September 2026
Screen Australia is aware of scam attempts involving fake emails and promotional m...