Pulse
Stats Zone: Cutting out the middle man
By Lewis - 23 November 2020
Rob Esteva, Managing Director of The Stats Zone, explains the rationale behind the company’s expansion into the B2B space and why automation cannot compete with proper application and context.
What is The Stats Zone?
The Stats Zone has various branches to it but has primarily been a website which I launched five years ago with the idea of presenting stats-based articles across a variety of different sports. In that time, the focus of the website has evolved and is now geared more towards predicting the outcome of matches and events by combining expert analysis with data-driven insights.
Why enter the B2B space?
I mentioned other branches of the business and one of those involved being in the B2B space, where we provided content for a well-known third party for four years. We decided to end that relationship at the beginning of 2020 to move into the space ourselves and forge direct relationships with operators. Cutting out the middleman will lead to a more cost-effective product and allow for more seamless integration from a technical point of view. We believe we can create more dynamic and efficient solutions when given the license to do so.
How extensive is TSZ’s B2B sports betting coverage?
Right now, we cover around 15 sports and over 200 unique competitions per year, which equates to around 500 events and matches per week, or roughly 25000 events a year. That number will only increase as we have branched out into US Sports, with Major League Baseball season, for example, encompassing almost 2500 games in a season itself! We strive to cover all major sports which means we are constantly reviewing and adding to our coverage.
What level of research goes into tailoring content for local operators and affiliates to ensure content is right for their specific audience?
We pride ourselves on using dedicated experts in each sport and region to ensure the content we offer is well-researched and curated using specialist knowledge. To use a recent example, we covered the Darts World Grand Prix sponsored by BoyleSports in its entirety and each match preview was written by one of the top analysts in the sport (3 Dart Analyst), and it is that approach which I believe sets us apart from our competitors. Our style and approach are very much tailored towards specific audiences and that extends to the language used and the betting markets we highlight, which can often differ across different countries and different sports.
How interconnected are the B2C and B2B parts of the business? When it comes to international fixtures such as Zambia vs Malawi for instance, how will the data differ? Does the type of data change, or the format?
What you see on thestatszone.com is a snippet of what we produce and is very much focused on SEO. A typical website preview is built around capturing an audience and giving the reader a quick synopsis of the event and a succinct prediction of the outcome, and this approach helps us reach the SEO targets that we set. We naturally have a lot of flexibility when it comes to the B2C offering in terms of what we include and exclude, but the B2B product is provided in a structured format designed for seamless integration.
There is a much greater level of detail that goes into the B2B side of things, with a more substantial emphasis placed on using and applying data to markets. For example, we would include key stats that are tailored towards specific markets while also including various other bet-prompts linked to data and trends. Team news is also included, which is made up of predicted line-ups and injuries for relevant sports. We have more than a 90 per cents success rate in our predicted line-ups – a scaled back version of which occasionally makes it onto our website – and we are well aware of the value this provides in the industry.
In what ways does coverage of American sports tailored to US betting markets differ from other sports and territories?
While there are plenty of similarities, US betting places a greater focus on spreads, with markets such as winning margins and total points particularly popular, so our coverage of US sports is reflective of that. I mentioned before about variations on the differing language used in our content and approach to US sports is a perfect example of this as we are sensitive to the unique terminology used by punters in different regions.
Why offer fantasy sports content? How do you differentiate from the myriad of other content creators in this space?
Fantasy content has always proven popular and successful on thestatszone.com, so by extension it is one of the areas we have looked to commercialise and provide for operators. Fantasy sports nowadays is increasingly wide-ranging as in addition to popular games such as FPL, NFL Fantasy and Fantasy IPL, we have seen the emergence of FanDuel, DraftKings and plenty of daily fantasy type games, not to mention the popularity of Football Index. Betting on metrics and systems built around points is becoming increasingly popular and we believe we are well-placed to offer informed content around a variety of fantasy-based games.
How do you analyse the esports betting landscape?
There has been significant growth in esports over the last few years, particularly in recent times where the lack of conventional sport actually benefitted the exposure of esports, but the betting landscape surrounding it is still very much in its infancy. We’ve typically focused on FIFA over the past couple of years and built various models designed to predict outcomes, particularly around LAN events. Performance Analysis is also relatively new in the esports sphere and we were fortunate enough to work directly with some of the top FIFA players in the world by providing them with expert analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of their upcoming opponents. As performance analysis in esports develops greater complexity, and exposure on television continues to grow, I fully expect the betting landscape to follow suit.
We are increasingly seeing automation and duplication in the sports betting industry. How important is bespoke and exclusive content?
It is fair to say that there are an increasing number of content-focused websites popping up that primarily use automation. Some do it well, some do it terribly, but it’s not something we have a particular interest in right now. We know data has a value and can minimise risk when it comes to betting, but without proper application and context it is nowhere near as effective, so we find that combining data with the specialist knowledge provided by an expert in any given sport produces the most compelling and trustworthy content. Automation alone, at least at the moment, cannot compete with that.
TSZ stresses its dedication to working 365 days a year. How much content is too much? How do you manage the balance to ensure customers are not overwhelmed?
The customer is free to choose which content they want, and that applies to both the website and the B2B offering. We’ve found through our analytics that a significant portion of our website audience will navigate directly to the home pages of their chosen sport, or in some cases a subsection focusing on a specific competition, so they can easily sidestep the content they aren’t interested in. When it comes to B2B, if a client is only interested in an event they are sponsoring for example, then that is absolutely fine.
We cater to different audiences across a range of time zones and given the breadth of our coverage that naturally creates a 365 days per year operation. People watch sport more than ever during public holidays, particularly over the Christmas and New Year period, so we ensure we cover it all. Whether it is the Premier League’s Boxing Day fixtures or Big Bash cricket on New Year’s Day, people want the latest information and that forms a key part of our offering.
What are your expectations for the B2B arm of The Stats Zone?
Having had the experience of working with one of the leading sports content providers around and providing them with tens of thousands of event previews over the past four years, we know that the coverage levels and the quality of what we offer is unparalleled. We’re now looking to provide this content more dynamically so that can we adapt to the requirements of clients and offer a bespoke service. From our previous endeavours, we’ve already built up a team of experts from different regions whom we trust to meet any demands a client might have. Going directly to the operators now means we can offer an affordable and flexible service with no boundaries to what we can offer.
