Q&A: Footballco on its rapidly growing betting affiliation division

Global football media giant Footballco is looking to make a splash in the affiliate sector and after a 160% leap in betting affiliate revenue since 2022, the business isn’t planning on slowing down.

Perhaps best known for its GOAL news platform, Footballco emerged as a standalone division after being spun off from streaming giant DAZN in 2020.

With offices on five continents, more than 300 staff and over 100 million followers across social media, the foundations for expansion are solid. Geo-specific brands across Europe and women’s football platform INDIVISA have also carved out niches for the wider group.

And adding former XLMedia chief information officer Nigel Leigh as chief technology officer in September, marked another feather in the cap for the company as it plans to ramp up its affiliation arm.

The betting division is headed up by vice-president of global betting Jon Dey, who has held the role since January 2023 after previously serving as head of global betting partnerships.

The business has multiple operators in place across its worldwide portfolio of sites, and added a significant brand activation event with Ladbrokes in the summer for Euro 2024.

Here, Leigh and Dey explain how the company has witnessed sharp growth in recent years and how they plan to maintain momentum across its global portfolio.

EGR: Can you explain what Footballco is and how its business model is pushing it into betting affiliation?

Jon Dey (JD): Footballco is the world’s largest football content and media company. Among our portfolio of media brands are GOAL (global), SPOX (Germany), Calciomercato (Italy), Voetbalzone (Netherlands), and KOOORA (Middle East). We also own several football community and culture brands, including MUNDIAL and women’s football brand, INDIVISA. Across all of these, we reach around 640 million fans a month.

In recent years, the media landscape has changed. No modern publisher can exist on ad revenue alone. We recognised this and have made a focused effort to diversify our revenue streams, and now 15% of revenue comes through affiliate channels, including tickets, shopping and, of course, betting.

Of that, 60% has come from betting and we’ve driven a 160% increase in betting affiliate revenue since 2022.

EGR: What growth do you expect to see in the betting affiliation arm in the next 24 months?

JD: Our dedicated and experienced betting team has helped us see strong performance and positive momentum in this area, with a focused approach to expanding our reach and enhancing partner relationships.

Over the next 24 months, we’ll evolve our offering to include a more immersive betting hub, complete with dedicated betting IP aimed at boosting fan engagement, improving conversion rates and driving higher lifetime value within our user base. These initiatives are designed to deliver a richer, more interactive user experience that aligns with our long-term growth objectives and the aim to make affiliation 25% of Footballco revenue.

EGR: How does Footballco’s core affiliation business operate? Are you using CPA or revenue share deals?

JD: Our core affiliation business at Footballco focuses on building impactful partnerships that deliver value through a range of tailored commercial models, including cost per acquisition (CPA), revenue share agreements and other performance-based structures.

In addition to these models, we drive engagement through a strategic blend of media buying, premium content and events designed to enhance fan interaction and strengthen brand alignment. Our events are a key part of this approach, offering immersive experiences that bring fans closer to the game and our partners, ultimately boosting engagement and conversion across our platforms.

One of these events was our Euros watch party for Ladbrokes, and is a great example of our 360-degree approach. While the event on its own was a success, this was amplified by content captured from the event performing strongly across GOAL social channels.

EGR: Voetbalzone is one of the largest football news sites in the Netherlands. How has your betting affiliation approach there been impacted by local regulations and how have you dealt with those headwinds? 

JD: Voetbalzone’s betting affiliation strategy in the Netherlands is firmly grounded in compliance with local regulations, ensuring we operate responsibly and transparently. While recent regulatory changes have required some adjustments, our approach remains effective, particularly given that 94% of our audience is aged 24 and above based on Google Analytics data allowing us to target responsibly within the legal framework.

We have a longstanding partnership with Unibet, which has helped us navigate these shifts, though we’re always open to exploring partnerships with other licensed operators that share our commitment to responsible engagement.

EGR: Similarly, in Italy with Calciomercato, how have you been able to carve out a sustainable revenue stream given the regulations in that market? 

JD: In Italy, we leverage Calciomercato’s strong domain ranking to deliver SEO-focused betting articles and integrate smart widgets to boost engagement and drive conversions within the allowed framework.

This approach allows us to maximise visibility and deliver value responsibly while respecting all local regulations. By focusing on high-quality, optimised content and interactive tools, we’ve been able to maintain a solid revenue stream and meaningful engagement with our audience.

EGR: INDIVISA is a dedicated women’s football site. Are there any plans to engage specifically with this demographic on betting affiliation as women are often singled out as an untapped market by operators?

JD: INDIVISA’s audience represents an exciting and evolving demographic, and we’re actively exploring ways to engage them within the betting affiliate space. With Euro 2025 approaching, we see a fantastic opportunity to connect with women’s football fans in ways that resonate with their preferences.

Our research and operator relationships say that gaming products, particularly bingo, align more closely with female audiences’ interests than traditional sportsbooks. Therefore, our focus will primarily be on bingo and other gaming offerings. For example, we will be hosting Euro 2025 watch party events that include sponsorship and audience participation in bingo, creating an interactive and engaging experience that enhances the enjoyment of the tournament combined with opportunities for social-first shows, podcasts and partnering with talent.

EGR: What plans, if any, are in the offing to tackle the US, and how do you see that market shaping up from a wider affiliate and Footballco view?

JD: We’re seeing great success in the US thanks to an appetite for MLS, women’s football, the USMNT, US players and owners abroad namely Ryan Reynolds, and even the EFL. This is being driven by our first US CEO, Jason Wagenheim, who joined in January and has since built out a US team of 26. 

We believe football in America presents significant potential for affiliate opportunities. While the landscape is complex and varies from state to state, we’re committed to navigating these challenges effectively.

We’ve been actively developing a suite of intelligent betting widgets and site content tailored to engage football fans, and we’re already implementing this strategy. A key focus for us is working with both market leaders and challengers in the space, as we believe this collaborative approach will enhance our reach and affiliate impact.

We also appreciate the need to educate this audience due to the relative infancy of the industry and the need to be responsible.

EGR: With changes coming to UK football sponsorship through the voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsors from 2026-27, how could affiliates take an advantage of this change?

JD: We expect this to have some positive impact on our side of the business, but there needs to be some realism. While many large bookmakers partner with Premier League clubs, those on the front of shirts tend to be from the South-east Asian markets and benefit from the strength of broadcast Premier League football. These benefits can’t be replicated like for like, but we’re open to working with brands in a responsible manner to help them reach fans in the right way.

EGR: Nigel Leigh has joined from XLMedia as CTO. What do you expect him to bring to the role?

JD: Nigel has come to us at the perfect time. As I’ve mentioned, we’ve seen significant growth across our betting and affiliate business in recent years, but his experiences at XLMedia will help us take this further faster and in new ways that benefit fans as well as brands.

But Nigel’s successes extend beyond pure affiliate. Footballco is a portfolio business and his experience of working with teams across the globe and bringing web properties together will enhance how we deliver for our affiliate partners.  

EGR: What technology is underpinning the betting affiliation growth at Footballco?

Nigel Leigh (NL): While the technology is important, it must be part of the user journey and our understanding of them. Our success comes from making sure those audiences who have an interest in betting get the relevant information and odds in front of them at the right time in a seamless way. As an affiliate, it is about making the offer part of the content.

EGR: How is Footballco planning to use AI in its betting affiliation division?

NL: We expect AI to play an important role in better understanding our audiences and their interests. In turn, this will help us integrate betting offers and odds into the user journeys.

For example, we intend to leverage AI tools to help us increase conversion rates by ensuring we put the right content and creative in front of the user at the right time in their buying or betting journey.

More broadly, we expect AI to play an important role for Footballco in the near and long term, with opportunities to optimise content creation and also content transformation, as well as new and innovative ways to interact and engage fans.

EGR: Anything else we should be talking about when it comes to Footballco and its betting affiliation division?

JD: While we’re seeing great success in affiliate growth, it’s still only part of our 360-degree offering to partners and it’s the bottom of a very wide funnel. Our partners see the greatest success when we deliver events or integrate them into our successful video formats and editorial.

We all know this is a highly competitive space and fans have more brands and more offers than ever and that’s why operators are coming to us to ensure that when fans are presented with numerous options, it’s their brand that is front of mind.