Bwin has put the pressure on rivals Paddy Power and William Hill in the Italian gaming market after agreeing to separate deals with TV stations Sky Calcio and Mediaset Premium and radio station Radio Sportiva to host betting focused-football content. The move is seen as bwin’s attempt to increase its visibility in the Italian market where it’s currently competing with Paddy Power and William Hill for market leading supremacy.
As part of bwin’s new TV deals, the online operator will be hosting a slot within Sky Calcio’s Sky Soccer Show that airs every Saturday and Sunday. TV presenter and actress Francesca Belussi will be front and center, detailing the site’s betting odds for any upcoming matches, specifically for Serie A and Serie B, as well as reviews on any midweek price movements.
On top of its new TV deal with Sky Calcio, bwin also extended its own partnership with Mediaset Premium, a year after making its debut on Mediaset’s dedicated Serie A live show. A similar segment will be run on the show, including discussions on match previews, betting updates, and line movements. Model and TV presenter Barbara Pedrotti will serve as the host for that segment.
Bwin’s Italy Country Manager Francesco Gaziano commented on the company’s aggressive attempt to ramp up on its visibility in the Italian market, calling a move to build its successful business in Italy during the World Cup. “It is for this reason that we decided to be more present in the football television schedules and with solutions that involve our users and that enable them to stay in constant contact with bwin,” Gaziano said.
“We were very fortunate in the choice of the two female faces–the beautiful but above all competent Francesca Belussi and Barbara Pedrotti,” he added.
Bwin also launched a partnership with local radio station Radio Sportiva to present a daily radio slot “bwin Sports Cafe”. This segment will also talk about upcoming matches and their corresponding betting odds with equal devoted to interacting with call-in listeners.
Bwin’s presence in the Italian betting market is enormous, thanks to its long-standing partnership with Juventus, widely regarded as the best team in Italian football. With these new TV and radio deals, bwin has the opportunity to entrench itself as the market leader opposite Paddy Power and William Hill, as well as market newcomer Bet365.
