News
Nigel Leigh Appointed CTO at Footballco from XL Media PLC
Hire boots Footballco’s revenue diversification strategy
Global football content and media company, Footballco has announced the appointment of Nigel Leigh as its chief technology officer. Leigh joins Footballco from XL Media PLC where he held the role of chief information officer.
At Footballco, Leigh will be responsible for product design, development and engineering for the company’s portfolio of football media brands, which include global football brand, GOAL and leading women’s brand INDIVISA, as well as local market titles, including MUNDIAL (UK), Kooora (MENA), Voetbalzone (Netherlands), Spox (Germany), and Calciomercato (Italy).
Across its brands, Footballco reaches between 80m – 100m fans a month through its web and app platforms, driving more than one billion user sessions [according to measurement platform SimilarWeb].
Before XL Media, Leigh was chief digital technology officer at Johnston Press and head of commercial platforms (digital) for Telegraph Media Group.
Leigh’s new role will see him join Footballco’s leadership team and report to Footballco CEO Juan Delgado.
Leigh will be responsible for leading design, product and engineering teams across Footballco offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland and the Middle East.
Delgado said, “Since Footballco was spun out of DAZN in 2020, with backing from TPG, we’ve seen significant growth, with 2x revenue as well as revenue diversification, making Footballco less reliant on the traditional ad media model. This has been aided by significant progress across affiliate revenue as well as growth in new markets, such as the Middle East and US.
“Nigel represents an important hire for the company to take this progress to the next level, as demonstrated by his time at XL Media PLC where he played an important role in growing the company’s affiliate business.
Similarly, his time at Telegraph Media Group and Johnston Press demonstrated his ability to lead large teams across global offices and bring publisher brands together into single tech stacks.”
Leigh said: “I’m excited to join Footballco and look forward to working across the company’s suite of football media brands at a time that is both exciting for the company and football in general.
“Footballco’s scale in football is unmatched, but there’s also huge room for growth, in terms of new revenue streams, affiliates and new markets, whether they’re geographical or demographic, such as women’s football.”
News
N1 Partners at Affiliate World Asia 2025: The Place Where Top Deals Come True
N1 Partners is heading to Bangkok to talk about growth, partnerships, and high-converting products. The team will be present not only at the main conference — Affiliate World Asia 2025 on December 3–4 — but also across the key side events, including Affiliate Drinks Meetup Bangkok 2025 and partner activities at Fridman Palace.
“Affiliate World Bangkok is one of the most valuable events of the year. We’re excited to meet partners, showcase what we’ve built, and exchange insights that drive the industry forward. N1 Partners enters 2026 stronger than ever — with new brands, new achievements, and big plans ahead.”
— Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners
Meet N1 Partners at Affiliate Drinks Meetup Bangkok 2025
The Affiliate Drinks Meetup Bangkok 2025 by Conversion Club is an evening of targeted networking during Affiliate World Asia week — a “drinks & deals” format built for quick, meaningful introductions and real partnerships between affiliates, advertisers, agencies, and tech partners in a relaxed setting off the expo floor.
N1 Partners joins Affiliate Drinks Meetup as a supporting partner and active participant, bringing our affiliate managers to meet decision-makers, discuss new traffic opportunities, and strengthen relationships with existing and future partners.
- Location: Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok
- Date & time: 3 December 2025, 20:00–23:00
Affiliate Space Awards 2025
The Affiliate Space Awards 2025 by Conversion Club is an annual gala that celebrates standout brands, companies, and personalities in affiliate marketing across key verticals — including iGaming, finance, dating and more — with live voting and winners announced at a gala dinner in Bangkok.
N1 Partners is shortlisted in three major categories at the Affiliate Space Awards 2025:
- The Best Gambling / Betting Affiliate Program
- The Best Brand of the Year
- The Best Online Casino Operator of the Year.
Together, these nominations recognize N1 Partners’ position as a top-performing affiliate program and operator with guaranteed and fast payouts, flexible deal models, a VIP approach and strong support for partners, consistently high-converting Tier-1 brands, a strong and consistent brand image (boosted in 2025 by the buzz around the N1 Puzzle Promo), and a data-driven approach to player value, retention, LTV, and long-term partner results.
- Location: Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok
- Date & time: 4 December 2025, 20:00–23:00
Fridman Palace – where N1 Partners meets industry leaders
You can also find N1 Partners at Fridman Palace in Bangkok — a premium business and lifestyle space where market leaders meet, share real cases, and talk openly beyond the conference schedule.
FridmanTower offers a curated environment with private meeting areas and networking zones tailored for meaningful conversations and high-level deal-making.
N1 Partners is the sponsor of a smoking lounge for relaxation and networking, giving partners a comfortable, premium space to meet our affiliate managers, talk strategy, and plan next steps throughout Affiliate World week.
- Location: FridmanTower, Bangkok
- Dates: 1–5 December 2025
Book a Meeting with Our Affiliate Managers
Maximize your time in Bangkok — book a meeting with N1 Partners in advance, whether at Affiliate World Asia, Affiliate Drinks Meetup, Affiliate Space Awards, or Fridman Palace.
Meet the N1 Partners affiliate team in Bangkok:
- Aleksei Gusarov – Team Lead of Affiliates
- Viktoriia Sokolenko – Affiliate Manager
- Roman Tsyganov – Affiliate Manager
- Batikhan Omarbayev – Affiliate Manager
- Pavel Sysoev – Account Manager
Book your slot — let’s talk business, growth, and opportunities with N1 Partners.
About N1 Partners
N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate program and direct advertiser, uniting 14+ casino and betting brands. The company has a strong presence in 10+ Tier-1 GEOs, Reg2Dep rates of up to 70%, and a trusted network of 10,000+ affiliates worldwide. N1 Partners delivers competitive deals for top partners: CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 45% to ensure partners always are number one!
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Wins Prestigious “Best Affiliate Software 2025” at SiGMA Central Europe B2B Awards
A milestone achievement as ReferOn continues to impress
ReferOn, the next-generation affiliate management platform, has taken the title of “Best Affiliate Software 2025” at the SiGMA Central Europe B2B Awards, held in Rome.
The award recognises ReferOn’s rapid growth in becoming a leader in iGaming. It distinguishes the platform for its cutting-edge architecture, exceptional product innovations, and measurable impact on affiliate operations.
Redefining Affiliate Management
In a short amount of time since its inception, ReferOn has become one of the most recognised names in affiliate technology, leading the way by creating user-centric features that help the real needs of affiliate managers.
The platform recorded rapid adoption, supporting an influx of tens of thousands of affiliates and millions of clicks while continuously evolving and growing with new features and refinements. The platform’s approach to innovation and user-facing experiences is its new living interface, Refie. Refie brings awareness and human-like interaction to the platform, helping make affiliate operations more personable and accessible.
Building Beyond the Standard
Alex Bukin, General Manager at ReferOn, commented on the win, “This award is more than recognition. It empowers and validates our team, encouraging us never to stop building. At ReferOn, we always aim to shape how affiliate marketing should work. At its core, it should be simple, transparent, and powerful. Every new integration and feature comes from a team that deeply understands the product and what real affiliate managers need. This helps us refine our platform to be the best it can be. And we’re only getting started!”
Continued Momentum
ReferOn’s win at SiGMA Central Europe marks another significant achievement. In 2025, the platform conducted multiple migrations and released groundbreaking features to transform affiliate operations. Its sights are set on 2026 — a year that will be focused on product refinements, sustainable growth through key industry partnerships, and delivering more key solutions for real affiliate managers.
Affiliate Success
Casino Guru secures SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards’ Best Affiliate 2025 distinction
Casino Guru has won the “Best Affiliate 2025” category at the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards, distinguishing the company’s efforts in delivering the best online casino database and guiding players to the safest casinos of their choice.
Via Tuscolana hosted the ceremony on Tuesday, November 4, in Rome, Italy, distinguishing a number of companies, among which was Casino Guru, which secured the landmark accolade for itself.
Commenting on the win, Casino Guru’s Head of Casino Research, Matej Novota, said: “Winning the Best Affiliate 2025 award at the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards is a meaningful milestone for us as we approach the end of the year. At Casino Guru, we are honored to be recognized in this category. Our mission has always been to build the world’s most comprehensive online casino database and to offer impartial insights that empower players to make informed decisions. This award strengthens our resolve to continue serving as a trusted bridge between players and operators, while upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and fairness in everything we do.”
Casino Guru has been awarded for its unflagging commitment to providing players with the most reliable up-to-date information about casinos and bonuses.
At its core, Casino Guru is committed to making the gambling industry safer and promoting best practices in Responsible Gaming. The company plays an active role in shaping these standards, drawing on its extensive experience, expertise, and firmly held values of fairness, integrity, and transparency.
Platforms such as the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative and Casino Guru Academy have been created to foster a better understanding of Responsible Gambling and how players and industry professionals can leverage it to their benefit.
Notably, the Casino Guru Awards have become a trend-setter in actively encouraging change on the part of industry stakeholders, and distinguishing deserving individuals and companies across numerous categories, such as Rising Star in Responsible Gambling, Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative, Fairest Bonus Policy, Industry Culture Shaper, and more.
Casino Guru has worked tirelessly, developing the world’s most complicated ranking system, the Safety Index, which carefully examines each casino’s offer, focusing on criteria favored by players, and issues an objective score that is also regularly updated.
Besides the Safety Index, Casino Guru has launched and maintains a world-beating independent adjudication service, the Complaint Resolution Center, which has returned more than $50m to players, including closing cases that involved more than $1m disputed by a single player.
Casino Guru is proud to receive the latest accolade from the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards, celebrating the company’s commitment to making gambling safer and better for everyone out there.
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