
GMB – The first piece of news from Genius Sports is that you are now taking over the leadership of the company throughout Latin America. What else did Genius show at ICE Barcelona?
Guilherme Buso – Genius Sports is coming with a lot of innovation for this year. It is bringing a completely remodeled product for managing and acquiring new players, retention, which we call Fan Hub, on the media side.
And, most importantly, a new product, which is actually not that new, BetVision. It has already been announced at other trade shows, but now we are expanding BetVision's delivery capacity to markets outside of Europe and the United States. BetVision is a product that fully integrates streaming with betting, which has always been worked on with the NFL and has been very successful in the United States. Now, this year, we are also bringing football and basketball.
Are these two sports widely marketed in the Latin American market?
Of course. Football is what draws the public in Latin America and Brazil, where the biggest bets are. There is still a lot of focus on prematch betting, before the game starts, but now, with everyone connected online, we are already seeing a greater flow of bets during the game.
BetVision is exactly that: the possibility for bettors to watch the match on their cell phone, tablet or computer without having to leave the screen. They can continue watching, betting, analyzing statistics, seeing relevant numbers and betting markets. Whether it is the more traditional markets, such as who will win or who will score, or immediate bets.
BetVision has the ability to personalize the experience for the user, offering markets that they are used to, such as corners, cards or goals. In this way, they receive these options in an immersive and engaging way.
Does it also allow microbets?
Exactly. We learned a lot from the NFL. Imagine that the NFL, American football, is a competition that stops a lot. You can predict or imagine what will happen with every play: whether it will be a pass, a run, a loss of the ball or a foul. In the NFL, this micromarket is present all the time.
In the case of football, this can also happen. For example, who will score a goal in the next 5 minutes? Who will get a card in the next 10 minutes? These micromarkets appear on the screen to encourage immediate bets and bring more engagement, making the user stay longer at the bookmaker, using the bets as entertainment.
That's the idea. To make betting a new form of entertainment, especially for this new generation and for those who enjoy sports. It's a new way of following the game, which sometimes isn't even your team's, but you're there betting, playing and even interacting with your friends or on your own.
Genius Sports has this vocation of always looking out for the bettor. In other words, was BetVision's expansion aimed precisely at this audience?
Of course. Ultimately, we are a company that works directly with bookmakers, and they want to attract and retain more users. We are always thinking of ways to use technology, which is our strong point, and the sports agreements we have, which are the core of the company.
We are official partners of the Premier League in football, the NFL in the United States and several sports entities in Brazil. We work collecting data, bringing technology and always concerned with sports integrity. With this expertise, we create products so that the user has an incredible experience with our customers, the bookmakers.
How do Genius Sports as a corporation, and you, as a leader in Latin America, see the current situation in the Brazilian market, which has just entered the world of regulation?
This is all anyone talks about. It's the big news. How much has been built, how many years have passed to get to this moment. The entire market is watching this.
Brazilian companies that were already operating in the market are adapting as best they can to this new moment. And we, at Genius Sports, are also paying attention and adapting to this scenario in Brazil, doing what we do best: using technology and expertise in sports so that bookmakers can be even more successful in Brazil.
And now, with the market regulated, what are Genius Sports' plans for the first half of the year?
What we feel is that the conversation about sports betting in Brazil is maturing a lot. For a long time, the concern was with the casino, which is where the users were. But we realize that sports betting is gaining maturity.
Bookmakers now want the best product, with faster and more reliable data. This is where Genius Sports can help, offering complete solutions for these players, whether in Brazil, Latin America or anywhere in the world. Our content is designed to serve sports in different countries, and the tendency is that, with BetVision, the experience will improve even more, keeping users engaged.
Will Genius Sports be talking about this at upcoming events, such as SBC Rio de Janeiro and BiS SiGMA, in São Paulo?
Of course, Gildo. The first half of the year is packed with events. After SBC in Rio, we will have BiS SiGMA in São Paulo and then SBC in Miami. This period will be very intense, with many conversations and negotiations, but extremely positive for those who work in Latin America.
Source: Exclusive GMB