YOUR TRUSTED GLOBAL SPORTS DATA PARTNER

Podium, a leading global provider of trusted sports content and data solutions, has today announced its first Australian contract with online bookmaker Picklebet.

Podium will enhance the experience of Picklebet’s web and app users with fast and accurate data across multiple sports, including tennis, football, cricket, rugby and major US tournaments, reflecting the depth of demand within the Australian market.

The new agreement is a significant step in Podium’s global strategy as it grows its reach in the APAC region, offering tailored data solutions for an increasingly international client base and a broader range of sports that extends beyond horseracing.

Podium’s API-first Premium Live product will give Picklebet access to comprehensive pre-match, live and post-event coverage, including fixtures, line-ups, live scores and results. This allows PickleBet to integrate to-the-minute score updates, player data and competition structures on its platform for dedicated sport fans across Australia.

Josh Sparke, Managing Director at Podium says: “Australia is a sophisticated market with high expectations around integrity, reliability and quality. These values are core to Podium’s approach and are reflected in the high-quality data and innovative products we offer to partners. We are proud that Picklebet is our first Australian client and see this as the beginning of a long-term presence in the region that further strengthens Podium as a leading global sports data provider.”

Rob Annable, Chief Operating Officer at Picklebet says: “Podium’s reputation for speed and accuracy makes them a perfect partner as we continue to invest in our sports product. Their Premium Live coverage gives us the data depth a modern punter expects, and we can’t wait for our customers to see the enhanced experience our new relationship brings, both in the short term and for years to come.”

In our latest staff Q&A, we find out about Iya Brocklehurst, Business Development Manager

1. How does your current role align with your professional interests?

I really enjoy the mix of communication, data and growth. I’ve always been interested in applied linguistics, which actually translates surprisingly well into business development.

At the end of the day, even in a very data-driven industry, partnerships still come down to trust, communication and understanding people properly. Fancy technology helps, of course, but so does replying to emails on time.

2. What element of your job makes you feel most connected to live events and audiences?

One of the best parts is meeting brilliant people across the industry, both colleagues and clients. There is always a real buzz around major racing events, and I love experiencing that atmosphere in person.

Working in racing also means I usually know exactly when it is time to prepare the fascinator!

3. How do you think data and analytics are reshaping the way fans interact with sport?

Over the past three months at Podium, I’ve seen how quickly fans engage when complex data is turned into smart tips and clean visuals that make sense instantly.

Clients love that they do not need a spreadsheet and a maths degree to understand what is happening anymore! Good analytics should feel effortless. If people can understand it at first glance, they stay engaged for much longer, and Racing Clarity is living proof of that!

4. What role do you think live data plays in enhancing the fan experience?

Live data keeps fans engaged because the story changes every second. A good visual or smart insight can instantly make sport feel more immersive and far easier to follow.

Commercially, it also changes the relationship with audiences. Brands are no longer just talking at fans, they are interacting with them in real time. Much more engaging, and definitely more fun than staring at a static league table from 2007.

5. What’s the most exciting use of real-time data in sport you’ve seen lately?

For me, it’s how predictive data and visuals are now blending seamlessly into live experiences. When data is presented properly, fans can understand what is happening instantly without needing to decode a spreadsheet for twenty minutes.

You also have to account for modern attention spans, which seem to get shorter by the week. Audiences expect insights immediately now. Patience as a concept is hanging on by a thread.

6. What sporting mindset or mantra do you try to bring into your workday?

Very simple. “Gold is winning. Anything else is losing.”

Maybe that sounds slightly dramatic for a Tuesday morning intro call, but mindset matters. In business development especially, positive energy is contagious.

7. What’s one challenge in your job that feels like being “in the final minutes of a close game”?

Trying to get contracts signed ahead of the World Cup definitely feels like that sometimes.

I must admit, those periods are also exciting because you see teams collaborating brilliantly. Usually powered by slightly too much coffee as well!

8. Which athlete do you think would make the best CEO?

Personally, I’ve been a fan of figure skating since I was a kid, so probably Alina Zagitova. Winning every major gold title takes incredible discipline, consistency and composure under pressure.

I admire people who combine technical excellence with high standards. In business, you also have to set standards and challenges high whilst accepting there is always risk involved. And that balance is probably rarer than an inbox with no unread emails!

9. What sport would you love to try but never have?

I’d love to try figure skating. I’ve always admired it, but after watching the level of balance, discipline and elegance involved, I also have a healthy respect for how quickly it could end quite badly for me!

By Sean Donkin, Commercial Marketing & Account Manager, Podium 

There is a category of sporting events that sits apart from everything else on the annual calendar. Not the Grand National. Not the Super Bowl. Not Wimbledon. Those are all major events with commercial significance, and an important anchor point in any operator’s annual plan. But operators know they are coming routinely plan for them.

The sporting events I am referring to are different: The FIFA World Cup, The Ryder Cup. The Rugby World Cup. The Olympics. Events which happen every few years.

These are the moments that reach far beyond the typical betting audience as they capture casual fans, lapsed bettors, and first-time depositors who wouldn’t normally engage with a betting product. They arrive less frequent and create a retention opportunity that the industry has never fully tapped into.

The spike is predictable. The drop-off still catches operators off guard.

Major tournament betting volumes are extraordinary. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, more than 90 million* bets were placed in the group stage alone, a surge of engagement from audiences who are not part of an operator’s regular active base.

What happens next is predictable, and that is precisely the problem. Most casual bettors acquired experience the event, then leave, so operators lost a potential regular customer having done the initial hard work of acquiring them.

The key challenge is the absence of a natural follow-up, as the annual sports calendar creates its own migration bridge. When the event is finished, there is no comparable event waiting in the wings, making it a key challenge for operators, meaning they need to create a reason for them to return.

The framework: from tentpole to year-round

Operators who handle tentpole retention well share a common approach. They treat the event not as a campaign endpoint, but an opportunity for customer engagement & retention.

Before the event: segment by intent, not by deposit

Retention planning must begin pre-tournament. Setting up to capture key behavioural signals will support long-term value such as capturing cross-sport browsing, in-play market engagement, bet builder usage, session frequency on non-marquee fixtures, because if you can’t tag curiosity during the tournament, you cannot act on it when the tournament ends.

The bettor who watches the Olympic 100m final and then browses athletics markets the following morning is telling you something important. Segmentation by behavioural intent is where the difference between a spike and a retained user is made.

During the event: build habits, not just turnover

The temptation during any tentpole event is to maximise short-term volume. The smarter play is to use that engagement window to establish repeatable behaviours.

Promoting in-play derivative markets, predictive content, and same-game multis encourages deeper product interaction than match-result singles. A bettor who builds in-play habits during a World Cup is more likely to bring those habits to domestic sports when the tournament ends. Retention is habit-led, not promotion-led.

Immediately post-event: the seven-day window

The most critical retention period after any tentpole event is the first seven days and this is where the annual sports calendar earns its strategic value.

The World Cup ends in July. The racing calendar does not. Horse racing offers daily high-frequency events, strong in-play opportunities, and derivative markets that mirror the engagement patterns established during football tournaments. It is one of the most effective post-tournament bridges in any operator’s toolkit, and it is available every single day. Domestic football returns in August. Tennis Grand Slams continue through the summer. The annual sports calendar is dense enough to sustain engagement, but only if the operator has built the bridge before the final whistle.

The Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the Olympics, all create the same dynamic when they arrive. The operators building the infrastructure now are the ones who will not be caught out again.

Shift from promotion to content: weeks two to eight

Post-event churn accelerates when operators respond to declining engagement with heavier promotional activity. The cost rises. The margin falls. The users who stay for a bonus do not necessarily stay beyond it.

The operators who sustain engagement in the quieter weeks embed real-time data, premium statistics, predictive insights, and personalised in-play prompts into the user journey. Longer session times, stronger in-play participation, and reduced dependency on bonus activity follow. In regulated markets where promotional scrutiny is intensifying, this shift is not just commercially sensible, it is increasingly necessary.

Sources

*https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-betting/stopping-the-churn-user-retention-after-big-tournaments/