News
Catena Media ventures into Italian sports betting market by acquiring ASAP ITALIA

Catena Media plc (“Catena Media”) is acquiring Italy’s market-leading sports news and lead-generator, company ASAP ITALIA. The acquisition adds the country’s largest lead generator to Catena Media’s portfolio and entails the company taking a major stake in the Italian market. ASAP ITALIA generates revenues of about EUR 300,000 per month.
ASAP ITALIA owns the premier lead generation site for sports in Italy with predominantly organic traffic and a very strong SEO rating. Its principal focus is on sports and the company’s growth opportunities are vast. ASAP ITALIA was founded in 2010, and almost 100 percent of its customers derive from the regulated Italian market.
“This is a strong acquisition for Catena Media, which will make us the number one lead generator within online sports betting in Italy.” – Per Hellberg, CEO
The initial acquisition consideration amounts to an up-front cash payment of EUR 12,5 million plus a EUR 3,5 million deferred consideration in cash after 12 months, making it a total cash payment of EUR 16 million.
There is also an earn-out of a maximum EUR 6 million, based on revenue performance over a period of one year. With a maximum earn-out payment of EUR 6 million, the sellers would need to generate revenue growth of about 50 percent during the earn-out period of one year. Up to 50 percent of the earn-out may be paid with shares in Catena Media plc.
“Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to regulate the online gaming sector. This is a company that maintains a very high level of quality in terms of compliance. I am very pleased to welcome them to the Catena Media team”. – Per Hellberg, CEO
The assets will be consolidated into Catena Media latest by July 2018.
About Catena Media
Catena Media provides companies with high quality online lead generation. Through strong organic growth and strategic acquisitions, Catena Media has, since 2012, established a leading market position with approximately 300 employees in the US, Australia, Japan, Serbia, the UK, Sweden and Malta (HQ). Total sales in 2017 reached EUR 67.6 million. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Mid Cap.
Further information is available at www.catenamedia.com
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Wins Prestigious “Rising Star Provider of the Year” Category at the AffPapa Awards 2025

ReferOn, a state-of-the-art affiliate management system, has won the “Rising Star Provider of the Year” title at the 2025 AffPapa Awards — a milestone that recognises the platform’s bold innovation and rapid growth in the affiliate tech space.
This award reflects ReferOn’s ability to deliver fast, transparent and scalable affiliate solutions that answer key industry demands. The category highlights the best rising companies in the iGaming and affiliate marketing industries, celebrating innovation and problem-solving solutions.
The AffPapa Awards is an annual event that recognises greatness in iGaming. The ceremony celebrates developments and innovations among affiliates, operators and B2B providers who have raised the bar and set new standards.
Vladyslav Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the achievement, “ReferOn wasn’t built to impress, it was built to solve. From day one, we challenged how affiliate platforms should work, look and feel — because the existing ones simply didn’t. More than a win, this award highlights the value of asking the right questions and building with purpose.”
2025 has been a crucial year for ReferOn, with the company receiving widespread industry recognition and implementing core product developments. Heading into Q3 and Q4, ReferOn is preparing a range of new features and enhancements focused on elevating the user experience and streamlining affiliate operations. The team will travel to iGB Live in London this July ready to share what’s next, meet with partners and discuss how ReferOn is refining affiliate management.
News
People moves: LiveScore Media MD joins QiH Group as new CMO

The power affiliate welcomes its latest addition to the C-level team, who will begin working on strategy for various geographies and new verticals
QiH Group, the affiliate known throughout the industry for its compliance-focus and creative customer retention strategies, has welcomed its new CMO, James McCarthy.
Joining from LiveScore Media, where he was MD, McCarthy will start officially on 2 June, using his experience at betting and gaming giants Betfair, Betway Group – and of course, LiveScore – to inform his new remit at QiH Group to drive profit across all marketing activities.
Based in QiH Group’s London office, McCarthy will manage the marketing team of 17 – which will expand to 27 in the coming months – overseeing double digit growth through marketing channels and commercial relationships, as well as improving on the current team’s capabilities.
Speaking of the new move, McCarthy said: “It’s such a pleasure to join a company that has grown so thoroughly and organically in licensed markets. QiH Group is a big name in the iGaming affiliate space, and I look forward to managing the continued growth in diversified sectors and locations.”
Jamie Walters, CEO of QiH Group, said: “QiH has moved from strength to strength recently, growing and adapting with the iGaming markets in the UK, Europe and North America. Welcoming someone as experienced and talented as James onto our team is another strong step for us. I welcome his expertise and am delighted to see where his marketing leadership takes us.”
Affiliate Announcements
ReferOn Expands Offering with New Support Packages, “ReferOn Assist”

ReferOn, an innovative affiliate management system, has experienced significant growth in 2024, with multiple technical and quality-of-life improvements to the platform. As a result of an influx of new operators and affiliates, ReferOn has introduced ReferOn Assist.
ReferOn Assist offers tailored support packages in three distinct tiers: ReferOn Assist, ReferOn Assist Plus, and ReferOn Assist Premium. Each tier provides enhanced support, cost-effective hourly support rates and more to help users meet their affiliate marketing strategy goals.
ReferOn Assist, the entry-level subscription package, includes a number of benefits, such as guaranteed support hours, faster response times and a higher resolution priority compared to ReferOn Basic users. All ReferOn Assist subscribers also receive direct channel support for easy access to our agents. Lastly, subscribers to this tier also enjoy more cost-effective out-of-hours support prices and affordable review reports for business analysis purposes.
ReferOn Assist Plus offers a further guaranteed response time, a larger bundle of support hours included and extra training time to help maximise affiliate operation efficiency. This subscription tier includes a quarterly review report packed with valuable insights and dedicated resolution priority for any pressing queries or issues. All subscribers also receive even further reduced out-of-hours support rates.
The last tier, ReferOn Assist Premium, provides operators and affiliates with the most comprehensive dedicated support package. Subscribers receive the highest response time and a large bundle of inclusive support hours at reduced rates. Premium users have access to a dedicated support manager for tailored assistance and the most cost-effective prices for after-hours support.
Each of these support packages are tailored to continue to provide the best possible customer service for Referon clients, whilst also helping reduce costs.
David Harris, ReferOn’s Operation Lead, commented on the new support packages, saying, “ReferOn prides itself on providing top-quality support for all operators and affiliates. The release of the ReferOn Assist packages allows us to prioritise helping our valued partners to ensure that they can make the most of our platform at all times. We look forward to seeing how the ReferOn team can work closely with all our users to achieve their business needs.”
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