AO Ventures Invests in AI-Powered Media Platform ScorePlay

GR8_TECH has expanded its footprint in the Georgian market through a new partnership with SETANTAbet, the licensed online betting brand operating within the renowned Setanta Sports ecosystem.

Superbet is making a long-term bet on 🇬🇷. The international gaming and technology group is entering the market with a strategy built around local investment, employment, sports partnerships and community engagement https://lnkd.in/dEzEZ6js

📬 This week’s Berkida Brief is live. The theme this week was selective capital. Investors are still deploying across sport, media, entertainment, music and gaming, but the focus is narrowing. The strongest activity is centred on assets with: 🔹 control 🔹 rights visibility 🔹 recurring engagement 🔹 distribution 🔹 clear platform logic A few signals stood out this week: 🏉 Black Knight Rugby acquired Exeter Chiefs, bringing US-led ownership into top-tier English rugby as the league moves towards greater financial stability and a more franchise-like structure. ⚽ Clara Vista acquired 80% of Frosinone, reinforcing the appeal of mid-market European football clubs where infrastructure, recruitment and commercial execution can still re-rate value. ⚽ LAFC exited Grasshopper Club Zurich, a useful reminder that multi-club ownership is not only about accumulation. Portfolio discipline, local alignment and operating control matter. 📺 Videoland acquired Viaplay Netherlands, showing how sports media consolidation is becoming increasingly rights-led. 🥍 Premier Lacrosse League raised $100m, while 🏓 Pro Padel League secured national CNBC coverage. Different sports, same message: emerging leagues need distribution before valuation. 🎵 Firebird launched a $750m catalogue acquisition fund, and 📚 Primary Wave backed Atticus Works with a $100m literary and theatrical IP strategy, showing entertainment IP continuing to widen as a private-markets category. The broader takeaway: Club ownership still matters, but more value is being created around the systems adjacent to it. 📡 Media rights 🏕️ Youth participation 💰 League financing 🤖 Video intelligence 🎼 Catalogue IP 📍 Local market control Sport is not simply attracting more capital. The market is becoming more disciplined about which assets deserve it. Full Brief here https://lnkd.in/eBqBqVyV #SportsBusiness #SportsInvesting #PrivateEquity #SportsMedia #MediaRights #FootballFinance #SportsTech #EntertainmentIP #BerkidaBrief

Fan acquisition and retention cannot be measured by clicks, or by estimated sentiment artifacts from social media. Research protocol, rooted in behavior, with applied advanced modeling yields actionable insight to drive fan acquisition and retention strategies, planning, and execution.

Fan acquisition and fan retention should not be treated as separate strategies. They are two outcomes of the same system: understanding why people discover, choose, engage with, and continue investing in a team, league, or sport over time. Organizations often measure acquisition and retention independently, but leaders also need to understand how fan motivations evolve, what creates loyalty, what drives advocacy, where friction emerges, and how different segments experience the fan journey. That is where decision-first research becomes valuable. It helps organizations move beyond reporting fan behaviour to understanding the decisions that shape long-term growth. If your organization is thinking about growing its fan base, increasing engagement, or strengthening lifetime fan value, I'd be happy to share how we approach these challenges at RESEARCH STRATEGY GROUP. #SportsBusiness #FanEngagement #ConsumerInsights #MarketResearch #GrowthStrategy #CustomerExperience #DecisionMaking

Fan acquisition and rentention are the twin engines that drive revenue in sports. From increasing the value of media rights, sponsorships, to the venue, an ongoing protocol of fan acquisition is an investment in long term value creation.

Thrilled to officially partner with ProSportDevelopment! We share the same mission: using the power of sport to drive positive social change. Together, we’re creating more inclusive, safe and empowering opportunities for young people in our communities. Exciting times ahead! #Sports4Change #ProSportDevelopment #SportForDevelopment #SocialImpact

The boundaries between sport, entertainment and live experiences continue to blur. For clubs and rights holders, the challenge is no longer just to sell out a stadium for 90 minutes, but to create reasons for fans to engage before, during and long after matchday. Ticketing, content, hospitality, immersive experiences, data and AI are becoming part of the same commercial ecosystem. An interesting perspective from TheTicketingBusiness & Mariano Otero (he/him) on where the industry is heading.

GR8_TECH has partnered with SETANTAbet to deploy the GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame in Georgia, bringing a scalable sportsbook solution that covers more than 180,000 monthly events across 50+ sports and esports, 24/7 live betting, AI-powered recommendations, embedded CRM and extensive customisation. The deal positions Setanta Bet inside GR8_TECH’s “Champions Club”, intended to accelerate growth while preserving local brand identity. Vardan Hakobyan, head of sales at GR8_TECH and Tamar Badashvili, CEO at Setanta Bet, both emphasised the commercial and operational benefits of the launch. This matters because operators in regional markets increasingly favour ready-made, high-performance stacks that promise rapid time-to-market and rich feature sets. The proposition is compelling: rapid deployment, local adaptability and a broad product catalogue. The sober question for operators and regulators alike is whether these platforms can balance speed with sustainable player protection, genuinely localised product decisions and long-term differentiation beyond white-label convenience. As Mr Hakobyan and Ms Badashvili note, the commercial upside is clear, the operational and regulatory trade-offs are what industry observers should watch next. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dqrXJQGS

Thinking about starting a sports league? Most leagues don't struggle because there's no demand, they struggle because things get messy, fast. Registrations, venues, fixtures, payments, communication - On their own, they're manageable. Together, they can quickly become overwhelming without the right foundations in place. That's why we've put together a practical guide to help league organisers plan, launch and run a league that works. Not just on day one, but as it grows. 🔗 https://zurl.co/OFk8o #SportsLeagueManagement #GrassrootsSport #LeagueManagement #CommunitySport #SportsAdmin