News Corp reportedly set to launch Australian online sports betting brand
Murdoch family-owned media giant to join forces with star-studded consortium to venture into wagering industry
News Corp Australia is set to launch an online sports betting brand in Australia in partnership with a consortium including investment fund Tekkorp and Matthew Tripp, according to reports.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the media empire is edging towards bringing a new brand to the market dubbed BetR.
News Corp is set to use its vast media presence to promote its sports betting brand including several news outlets and the Foxtel TV channel.
News Corp reportedly held discussions with a series of potential partners before agreeing to launch with the Tekkorp and Tripp-led consortium.
Tripp has previously overseen the rises of Sportsbet and BetEasy in Australia and is now set to lend his expertise to the new project.
Tekkorp is led by former SG Digital CEO Matt Davey and recently added former William Hill Online CEO Crispin Nieboer to its executive team.
Reports from The Age suggest former BetEasy CEO Andrew Menz is set to be appointed as chief executive of the venture.
The Murdoch family, which own News Corp, launched Fox Bet in the US in 2019 via its US-facing media company Fox Corp.
The sportsbook was launched in tandem with Flutter Entertainment but has seen its presence in the US fail to take off.
In March, Lachlan Murdoch said he was “disappointed with the rollout of Fox Bet”, with Flutter focusing on its FanDuel brand.
FanDuel’s sportsbook is live in 16 US states, compared to just four for Fox Bet.