Lots of traffic and more: how to launch on basketball

Today Affhub decided to talk about one of the three most popular sports in the world. As you might have guessed, it is basketball. Despite the relatively low popularity of this sport in Ukraine, there are hundreds of millions or even billions of basketball fans around the world. So there can’t be any problems with traffic – the only question is how to work with it. That is what we will try to find out today.

Overview of the niche

In the world of betting, basketball ranks third after football and cricket in terms of the number of bets placed. On average, about one and a half million fans watch each NBA game. The total number of fans of this sport in the world reaches 2.4 billion people. 

Of course, given these figures, the competition in basketball for affiliate marketing is quite high. Especially in the largest markets, such as the United States. Therefore, if beginners are going to enter basketball, it is advisable to do it rather cautiously and carefully, starting with less competitive GEOs – we will talk about this later.

Another important fact is that basketball competitions last all year round, so there is enough work for everyone. At the same time, as in all sports, during major competitions or the most important matches, the attention and activity of the audience is heightened. And at this time, it is best to go vertical.

What does the basketball target audience look like?

Generally speaking, the target audience of basketball and, accordingly, betting on this sport is men aged 18 to 45. However, for a successful bet, it is worth segmenting the audience. And basketball has three key segments: 

The majority of the audience are men aged 18 to 35. They are regular fans of the sport who are also active bettors. They have several key reasons to bet on basketball. In particular, it is both an opportunity to increase their own budget and to get more excitement from watching their favorite matches. For the most part, these people do not have very high incomes.

The second segment is older men, aged 30 to 45. They already have higher incomes and are active fans of various sports, including basketball. They are ready to invest larger sums, but they need information – data and statistics. They need not only a narrower target, but also better creatives. The main goal here is the same: to increase excitement and make money at the same time.

The last segment is people who are professionally engaged in sports betting. They are not basketball fans, but they know that they can make money on it. For them, the priority is high odds on certain sports, as well as reasoned statistics. 

Overview of GEO for basketball

When it comes to basketball, the first association is, of course, the United States. It is a fact that the USA is the largest market for basketball betting. NBA competitions are a story not only about the United States but also about the whole world. Basketball is among the four favorite sports of Americans. And they are also active bettors.

What is more important, the average check for basketball competitions is also high in the United States. However, the competition in this GEO is also the greatest. Therefore, newcomers from the United States should be careful – the cost of the bay is quite high and the competition can eat up the entire budget.

A good competitor for the United States is Canada. This sport is also among the favorite ones there, but there is not such a fierce competition in the field of affiliate marketing. The local population follows both local and American competitions. And the high standard of living also contributes to a large average check.

Australia does not have such global and world-famous competitions as the American NBA. However, the local population actively follows the competitions and is happy to place bets on them.

Among European countries, Spain, France, Germany, and, surprisingly, Lithuania are considered to be the top ones – the latter GEO is associated with a fairly strong domestic team. In Europe, the main basketball competition, unlike the rest of the world, is not the NBA, but a domestic international tournament, the Euroleague. It has its own stars that are worth paying attention to when working with creatives.

In Asia, basketball is also a big focus of attention. The Philippines is the key geo here. The competition in this region is quite low, which allows testing the vertical with relatively smaller budgets. This allows even newcomers to enter the market.

Of course, we can’t talk about GEO without Latam. Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are the countries where basketball is gaining popularity, even though it is not in the top, but it is gaining popularity. The local population is focused on making a profit, and the competition is quite low. All together, we can conclude that it will be quite easy for a newcomer to work in these GEOs.

How to work with the target audience in basketball

Here are some tips on how to work with the audience in basketball:

• Segmentation. The approach to a particular target audience is very different. So you should understand what kind of target audience you plan to work with.
• Events. As we have already noted, as in all sports, audience activity increases during major events and competitions. This is the best time to get into basketball. And, accordingly, it will bring the biggest profit.
• Creatives. In short, they should be divided into three types: “successful success”, emotions from winning, and analytics. Depending on your target audience, this or that creative will be the best fit.

To summarize

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Due to the high engagement throughout the year, this niche can generate regular income. And during the period of major competitions, such as now, when the NBA competitions have just started, these profits increase many times over. So, study, test, and enjoy the ROI!