Asian Betting Brand BK8 Sponsors Five La Liga Clubs
Author:
Megan Butler
One of Asia’s largest and most prominent sportsbook operators has had a busy summer, building a strong network of commercial partnerships in Spanish football’s top-flight. Chinese-owned sports betting company, BK8, has partnered up with no less than five clubs in La Liga. The deal will see them play to the role of commercial sponsor for the new season and gain significant exposure across the busy fixtures schedule.
Asia’s betting ecosystem has been greatly strengthened by the newly formed partnership between BK8 and a series of Spanish football teams, including Valencia, Villareal CF, Athletic Club Bilbao, RCD Mallorca, and Elche CF. ?jarmoluk/Pixabay
BK8 has made one of the most comprehensive commercial sponsorship deals we’ve ever come across, taking five huge clubs from La Liga to promote their brand. The clubs that have become part of the deal and will be working in tandem with BK8 for the upcoming La Liga campaign are Valencia, Villareal CF, Athletic Club Bilbao, RCD Mallorca, and Elche CF. Some huge names in this list that any serious football fan in Spain will have a direct affiliation with.
Partnering up with the five clubs hasn’t been an easy process by any means, in Spain, there has been some hesitation around working with betting companies from Asia. The sentiment however remains neutral, and there were no clear objections from the clubs’ internal commercial partnerships team or the league with its duty to oversee fair and responsible sponsorship deals for the constituent clubs playing in its divisions.
In the past these clubs haven’t traditionally partnered with sports betting companies, so there is naturally some apprehension regarding the process behind working affiliating themselves with this industry. In terms of revenue opportunities though, it doesn’t really get more lucrative than what is being offered by these Asian sportsbooks. In a league such as La Liga where broadcasting deals are far less than that of the Premier League, it makes a lot of sense to begin these lucrative deals.
BK8 Targets European Growth
The new deals being signed between BK8 and the Spanish football clubs are an excellent marker for the opportunities that this deal represents for the bookmaker. Setting out the objectives in Europe it’s clear that BK8 is targeting some very optimistic new user targets in its international markets. Working closely with some of Europe’s largest football clubs will help tremendously on the road to achieving their goals.
BK8 have been very involved in European football for some time now, recently trying and failing to sponsor Norwich City FC. Despite the deal not materializing, their presence in the continent’s commercial side of the game is heavy. Public relations are as usual very much on point for the sportsbook, and they have already made it clear that their intention will be to engage with charities and communities to push a positive trajectory on the local football ecosystem.
Closing these deals with some of Europe’s largest football clubs has put BK8 very much in the public light once again. With an outpost in Europe and a clear strategic plan to grow the brand’s presence throughout the region, they are certainly ticking all the boxes and making the right moves to pursue these ambitious goals. Not only will these achievements have a benefit for the European expansion efforts but will also legitimize their business aims in Asia too.
Multi-Faceted Deal Between La Liga and BK8
The deal between BK8 and the five La Liga clubs takes the form of a multi-faceted marketing approach for Asia and European markets. BK8 has essentially bought a branding package across the clubs’ owned and operated social media and digital platforms. As a sweetener to the deal, special promotions will likely be made available to players where they can profit on enhanced odds and unique bonuses when the sponsored teams are playing.
There will also be a big to make use of the pitch perimeter advertising technology, these billboards can be programmed to deliver a wide range of marketing material for viewers in different geo-locations. Virtual perimeter advertising rights vary greatly depending on the region of the commercial, and for this reason, BK8 will have to optimize the delivery of its ads for specific markets.
Several of the clubs involved have already made clear their optimism with growing their own brand in Asia as a result of this deal. Valencia CF president has indicated the club is eyeing an optimistic growth target in Asia and decided working in tandem with BK8 would enable them to readily achieve these targets. As such an important market for western sports clubs, gaining a large fanbase in Asia can dramatically improve the revenue prospects of a particular club.
The same situation remains true for Villarreal, Mallorca, Athletic Club, and Elche. All of whom will benefit considerably from the structure of this deal. If executed well, the partnership between these clubs will be beneficial for all parties involved and will provide vital reach to an audience in an important continent.
