Betway can use the expertise gained from its existing international and South African sporting sponsorships to bring fresh ideas to the premiership, especially in producing content and packaging that generates excitement, CEO Laurence Michel says.
A goal for the betting company is to help the Betway Premiership address its seemingly endless issue of attendances, and get bums on seats.
Michel pointed to Betway’s global deals — its headline sponsorship of West Ham and betting partnerships with Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and Atletico Madrid — as providing experience it can draw from. He made a particular example of the excitement created around the hugely successful Betway SA20, which has reenergised dying domestic cricket.
PSL chair Irvin Khoza, announcing the three-year deal on Wednesday for Betway to replace DStv as Premiership sponsor that he said was worth “about R900m”, indicated it was the company’s ideas that were as attractive to the league as the financial aspect. He showed appreciation for the relationship Betway, as sponsors of SA20 and horse racing’s SummerCup and associate sponsors of the Springboks, has established with premiership predecessor DStv’s sports channel SuperSport, the PSL’s official broadcaster.
.@OfficialPSL chair Irvin Khoza announces @Betway_za as the new Premiership sponsor pic.twitter.com/gGcejoAoXm
— Marc Strydom (@marc_strydom) July 24, 2024
“Our core business is creating conversation. They [Betway] told me they are going to assist in creating that conversation. Content creation that creates conversation,” Khoza said. “I’m happy Betway have been part of a culture of [co-operating with] SuperSport, MultiChoice.”
Michel promised Betway are not in South African football to put up money then walk away.
“One of the major issues the chair [Khoza] spoke about this morning is content. We think we can do a lot with content around the PSL, around the heritage of the PSL; but we need a partner to do that and DStv is that partner.
“We’ve had an unbelievable partnership with DStv from the day we’ve been in business. DStv and MultiChoice have been amazing partners, we know they will continue to be.
“I think to make things work you need a league, you need a sponsor who’s willing and you need the broadcaster. And I think we now have all three and we’re really going to tell a fantastic story.
“We’re in the betting business and that’s a fact. But we’re actually not in the betting business, we’re in the content business. And if you have a look at how we have conducted ourselves in all the sports we’ve been involved with, it’s about creating content.
“Those of you [in the media] who’ve been involved in SA20 [know] we’ve created a lot of excitement around that event. We think we’ve brought people into stadiums for that event
“The Betway SummerCup [in horse racing], we’ve created something special with that. The Springboks. And we as a company have invested significant money in getting involved in the creation of content. We’ve partnered with some significant people, we’ve created some of the best content in this market; some of the best documentaries. And we’re going to continue to do that.
“I think bums on seats, getting people into the stadiums is important. The trophy discussion [and how it will look under Betway] is important. What we do to bring in the heritage is very important.
“As an aside, as a youngster I spent many weekends at Orlando Stadium supporting Highlands Park — my father was very involved in Highlands Park in the 1980s. So it’s in my heritage, in my DNA, it’s part of my personal feeling — we’re going to make this work and watch this space for some fantastic content.
As a youngster I spent many weekends at Orlando Stadium supporting Highlands Park – my father was very involved in Highlands Park in the 1980s. So it’s in my heritage, in my DNA, it’s part of my personal feeling – we’re going to make this work.
— Laurence Michel
“‘Football is in our blood’ — watch that slogan. I’m very excited to be here and I think you’re going to see some amazing content and input from us; not just putting in money and going away — we don’t do that as a company.”
DStv's investment helped carry the PSL through one of its darkest period. They signed a five-year deal in September 2020, replacing 17-year partners Absa just as global sport was emerging from the four-month shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Games were still being played in front of empty stadiums.
The rapidly changing global financial landscape might be seen as part of the reason for DStv ending its premiership sponsorship a year prematurely. Reports are declining decoder sales amid the streaming revolution are behind the decision.
In such a landscape, the PSL needs fresh ideas. Since its launch and new professionalism in standards from 1996, and the huge financial windfalls related to the hosting of the 2010 World Cup, the PSL has seemed to go stale in innovations.
After a long period where the game regressed in talent production due to serious deficiencies that were allowed to pervade in grassroots development, some improvement in club youth systems and academies is finally seeing promising young players emerge.
Accompanied by fresh ideas and innovations in the running of the league, perhaps the crowds can even come back. Betway's legacy would be far greater than financial if it could help achieve that.
