SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
An ongoing discussion surrounding the personalisation of sports data has led to many in the industry searching for what has been described as the ‘Netflix experience’.
This ‘experience’ is so-called because of Netflix’s personalisation process. The online TV and movie streaming service applies an algorithm which recommends titles to the user based on their viewing history.
Similar use of data has been pushed to the forefront for the sports betting industry, with innovation – and its associated boost to the user experience – increasingly considered key in driving product engagement amongst punters.
Simon Westbury, Director of International Development at Digitain, spoke to SBC regarding such personalisation at Betting on Sports: “There’s a big discussion about the personalisation of sports data,” he said. “However, as an industry, we can do far better than the current offering.”
“We probably shouldn’t call it a Netflix experience either, since the similarities, mechanics and end user utility range from apt to divergent. That said, by way of example – for my sins – I’m a Tottenham Hotspur fan and I bet on football. Yet, people are still offering me bets on handball which I’ve got no interest in.
“We’ve seen stuff around request a bet and build your bets, so we’re kind of getting some personalisation but we need to do far better. It’s one of Digitain’s key focuses – understanding the wealth of data we have and using the algorithms to produce a gaming equivalent of the Netflix experience.
“In a very competitive marketplace, the more innovation we can have, and the more personalisation, the better the experience for both the user and the operator. It all comes down to revenue and bottom line – if you can focus in on any key interest of a player, you’ll get them more engaged with your product.”
Westbury’s sentiments echoed those from Suren Khachatryan, Digitain’s COO, who contributed to this summer’s popular ‘Sportsbook Personalisation‘ series on SBC News.
“In an ever-more crowded marketplace, the tools to harness, analyse and apply customer data and analytics are integral to delivering an enhanced player experience,” he explained.
“With today’s ever-evolving technologies; data is no longer about assessing risk but rather in taking that information and predicting what to do with it.
“The ‘Netflix Experience’ that is emerging with today’s online customer journey means that a player expects offerings to be tailored to them, with exactly what they want, before it is even demanded – and this is where customer analytics come in.
“Data provision and evaluation to ensure this is provided is an essential part of what we do for over 100 platform partners, ensuring they can target the right players, at the right time – pushing content they are more likely to be interested in, and removing that which they would rather not see.
“This again brings us back to the value of the customer in driving higher margins – customer experience – and the value derived from it is what keeps the customer loyal to your brand. Without it, they’ll go elsewhere.”
