Affiliate Success

Hitting for six

Published

7 years ago

June 3, 2019

Photo Source: mattcurrill.com

Tom Wardman, Business Development Executive at Independent Content Services, offers affiliates advice about how to use content to drive engagement during the Cricket World Cup

The Cricket World Cup got underway last week and is expected to attract a global audience in the billions between now and its conclusion in the middle of July.

For online sportsbook operators, it is a huge opportunity to engage new punters while re-engaging existing customers with generous promotions and a great range of odds and markets.

Indeed, it has been reported that 34% of tickets purchased for the tournament have been done so by people who have never attended a cricket match before.

This presents tremendous upsides for affiliates who can use their skills as content creators to engage new cricket fans and push them towards the sportsbooks they are partnered with.

But to succeed, affiliates must put in place a clear plan of action and a detailed strategy to be sure they are targeting the right audience with the right content.

Let’s consider the audience that affiliates should be targeting during the Cricket World Cup.

The tournament has a global audience but is particularly big in India, where the sport is a national obsession. But with online sports betting largely illegal, affiliates must focus elsewhere.

This means tailoring content to meet the needs and expectations of fans and bettors in markets such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa where online betting is more widely available.

The good news for affiliates is that English is the standard language in these countries, so translation is not so much of a concern for content created around the tournament.

But what sort of content should affiliates be creating, and how can they use content to ensure that punters signed-up during the World Cup continue to engage with their sites afterwards?

It is important for affiliates to understand that they are not just competing with other affiliates, but also the major sports media brands, some of whom also offer sports betting.

Content must therefore go beyond general news stories and include things like match previews and reviews, player analysis, interviews, stats and data.

More feature-based pieces are also popular, including top tens (scores, best LBWs, comebacks, etc) as well as input from pundits and former players.

While most of this content will take the written form, affiliates should also create and publish audio and video content as this can unlock even higher levels of engagement. These are particularly good to share on social media.

Take audio, for example. Affiliates can partner with content providers to offer live, ball-by-ball match commentaries that their readers can listen to.

This allows readers and potential punters to stay engaged with the tournament if they are unable to attend in person or watch it on TV.

Broadcasts can also be tailored to individual affiliates to include calls to action that encourage listeners to sign up with particular sports betting brands.

For example, “England are now 2/1 to beat Pakistan. Sign up now at Sportsbook Operator A and receive a free bet.”

In addition to radio, affiliates can provide audio blast score updates, analysis bulletins and even podcasts. All of this can be done very cost-effectively.

It is really about helping the audience remain engaged with the Cricket World Cup via the affiliate site wherever they are, whatever they are doing.

They may not bet all of the time, but with regular calls to action built into audio content, when they are ready to sign-up to a sportsbook and bet, they are more likely to do so via the affiliate.

Affiliates wanting to offer something truly exciting should also plan for video content as this allows them to leverage the phenomenon of second screening and also the power of social media.

Content providers such as ICS offer cost-effective video in the form of match previews and reviews, video blasts and score updates, plus Gillette Soccer Saturday style shows.

Again, this content can be tailored to individual affiliates and include bespoke calls to action that drive viewers back to their sites and to the sportsbook brands they work with.

The other great thing about video content is that it is sharable across social media, and delivers high levels of engagement. This in turn drives brand awareness among new audiences.

Of course, the real challenge for affiliates is ensuring any new players remain engaged after the Cricket World Cup – this is often easier said than done.

But content is a powerful retention tool. Once the tournament is over, affiliates should put together a content plan for the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League as well as the Ashes.

The key thing to remember here is that 50-over cricket is different to 20-over or Test cricket, and you can’t always assume there is a mutual interest.

But so long as the quality and variety of the content is on point, and ensures that players remain connected to the affiliate’s brand, there are plenty of opportunities for retention.

The Cricket World Cup is one of the largest sports tournaments in the world, and smart affiliates that prioritise content will be hitting for six now and throughout the year.

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Affiliate Success

TAG Media and Gamblitude Launch affie.ai

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2026

George Miller

TAG Media and Gamblitude Launch affie.ai

The AI-Powered Affiliate Manager Assistant Set to transform Affiliate Management in iGaming

TAG Media and Gamblitude have launched affie.ai, a guided decision-making engine built for iGaming affiliate managers. It combines TAG Media’s 150+ years of collective affiliate management experience with Gamblitude’s operator-grade data and analytics platform.

affie.ai will make its debut at SBC Summit Malta (28–30 April), where affie.ai’s Elaine Gardiner, Alana Weldon and Wojtek Sznapka will be demonstrating the platform to operators interested in becoming one of the first five launch partners.

The Problem affie.ai solves

Affiliate management sits at the centre of operator acquisition strategy. It demands financial judgement, negotiation skill, data literacy and market knowledge. Yet there is no industry-standard training, no widely accepted playbook and no safety net when a commercial decision goes wrong.

The data is there. What’s missing is consistent, effective interpretation. With time, an experienced affiliate manager may know what a declining CPA trend means in a specific market or when a revenue share deal needs renegotiating. A less experienced one may not – and that gap costs operators money, talent retention and competitive ground.

Even for experienced affiliate managers, having the requisite time and patience with convoluted systems and tools to spot gaps and opportunities, even ad hoc, is progressively rare, further limiting their ability to achieve sustainable growth within their affiliate programme.

By encoding proven affiliate management expertise directly into their daily workflow, affie.ai gives affiliate managers the ability to make decisions grounded in real programme data and industry best practice, positioning them for true proactivity with their affiliate partners.

What is affie.ai?

affie.ai is a guided decision-making engine, not a dashboard and not a tracking platform. It is trained on real affiliate programme performance data and built on the strategic frameworks TAG Media has applied across 50+ programme launches over the past decade.

On the data side, Gamblitude, founded by former STS chief technology officer Wojtek Sznapka and former STS chief sportsbook officer Piotr Cerlak, provides the analytical backbone: a cloud-native data layer purpose-built for iGaming operators.

The result is that affie.ai provides affiliate managers with specific, data-informed recommendations on deal structures, partner performance, programme optimisation and commercial risk insights, removing the time spent and consistency required in pulling reports, second-guessing spreadsheets to build progressive performance.

For operators, affie.ai delivers measurable reductions in programme management overheads, faster onboarding of new affiliate managers, institutional knowledge that stays in the business regardless of team changes and the agility to make rapid commercial decisions to positively impact the bottom line. affie.ai gives affiliate managers the power of proactivity.

Human Relationships, Sharper Decisions

Affiliate management is a relationship business. Trust between manager and affiliate drives long-term value – no tool replaces that.

affie.ai removes the noise around those relationships. Instead of debating whether a deal is commercially sound, the affiliate manager already has the answer and can focus on the conversation. affie.ai provides human-led decisions with AI-led precision, built on real data, not assumptions.

Elaine Gardiner, Co-Founder of affie.ai says: “After 17 years managing affiliate programmes for operators including Cherry Casino, Ninja Casino and Rizk, I know what good decision-making looks like in this role and I know how rarely it’s supported by the right tools. affie.ai takes the strategic thinking our team applies every day and makes it available on demand and at pace: specific to your programme, specific to your data and ready when the affiliate manager needs it.”

No Strings Attached Six-Week Trial – Five Places

affie.ai is offering five operators an exclusive six-week trial. No fees. No lengthy onboarding. Operators connect their affiliate programme data and their affiliate team uses the platform to obtain new insights on their own numbers, enabling faster commercial decisions on deals to build growth. To book a meeting, email [email protected] or visit www.affie.ai to register your interest in using affie.ai to build affiliate programme growth.

Affiliate Success

ReferOn Shortlisted for “European Corporate Services Supplier” Category at EGR EUROPE Awards 2026

Published

3 months ago

January 29, 2026

George Miller

ReferOn Shortlisted for “European Corporate Services Supplier” Category at EGR EUROPE Awards 2026

ReferOn, the next-gen affiliate management platform, has been named on the EGR Europe Awards 2026 shortlist in the “European Corporate Services Supplier” category, recognising the platform’s solutions that help real operators with their operations and growth.

Continuing 2025’s Momentum

The nomination reflects a busy 2025 for ReferOn, one that was highlighted by significant product updates, rapid growth, and an ascent to becoming one of the most recognised affiliate management platforms in the industry.

Going into the new year, the ReferOn team has ambitious plans to accelerate this positive momentum by scaling alongside its growing partner base with advancements to its product vision around clarity, transparency, and ease of use. The EGR Europe Awards 2026 marks a pivotal start to 2026, and an award win demonstrates that the platform’s direction truly resonates with operators and affiliate managers worldwide.

Refie’s Human Impact

Refie, the platform’s human layer, transcends a mere surface-level companion. It hops around dashboards and workflows, providing relevant assistance, such as fixing reward logic, identifying anomalies, and making suggestions to the user.

In 2026, ReferOn plans to enhance Refie’s functionality with advanced platform gamification, engaging users and transforming how affiliate managers interact with their day-to-day operations. These developments will pave the way for personalised, smart intelligence on the platform and set an industry standard for affiliate tech.

Alex Bukin, General Manager, commented on the nomination and plans for 2026, “ReferOn made great strides in the past year, with major product developments, key recruitments, and a rapidly growing partner base. With this growth, our expectations have risen, and we want to establish ourselves as a platform that accelerates affiliate tech across the board. Being nominated for the ‘European Corporate Services Supplier’ category solidifies our ambition and is a meaningful start to our new year. With Refie driving more innovation, we look forward to driving our goal of transparency, clarity, and customer-facing features even further.”

Affiliate Success

ReferOn Wins Prestigious “Best Affiliate Software 2025” at SiGMA Central Europe B2B Awards

Published

6 months ago

November 18, 2025

George Miller

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.