Sports Broadcast Media team up with US Watch Party app Hot Mic

S:B:M and Hot Mic launch the world's first ever interactive watchalong betting service.

Sports Broadcast Media is pioneering a revolutionary new real-time video walkthrough of live betting action. The channel on the Hot Mic app will be the first service of its kind anywhere in the world, as S:B:M puts its sporting and betting experts in front of the cameras to join with a live audience to form a community of informed punters for the in-play betting markets.

The service's first official broadcast will be this Friday, 7th July, the night the European Champions League returns, as our team of experts watch the match and put up the best in-play bets live. S:B:M is an independent company with no affiliation to any bookmaker and will be able to secure best odds available on every bookmaker’s console.

S:B:M Programme Controller, Gavin Puszczalowskyi, said: “Our team all love sport, love talking about sport and love to bet sensibly on sport. HotMic offers a place online where we can do it all together at the same time as the sport is happening. Everyone looks for the best value in betting markets. S:B:M can do that and share that information with our viewing community whilst always promoting responsible gambling. Hot Mic is the perfect platform for a sport-loving community to watch the action together as it happens and we’re excited to begin this new adventure.”

Hot Mic already has a big UK sporting presence with the likes of Anfield Wrap and Mark Goldbridge live streaming on the app. The last few years has seen the rise of sports games being streamed live on bookmakers’ websites and S:B:M wants Hot Mic’s integrated chat and interaction features and unique ability to sync its output with what the user is watching to guarantee this a collective experience for viewers that isn’t available anywhere else.

“Just like how betting revolutionized the way we watch sports, HotMic has completely changed the live sports viewing experience” said HotMic Founder and CEO Sean Longworth. “The partnership between Sports Betting Media and HotMic is exciting because it offers the only real-time, completely synced watch party experience for sports bettors everywhere. We’ve all had matches ruined by social media or someone you’re on the phone with because your game is lagging behind, and spoilers completely ruin co-watching. We are the only social platform that fixes this problem, and we can’t wait to further enhance the already top-notch product provided by Sports Betting Media.”

The new service aims to bring back the social aspect of betting that’s faded with the advent and expansion of online sportsbooks and the decline of traditional High Street outlets, something that’s been blamed for increases in problem gambling.

S:B:M’s Editor, Alastair Ross, said: “We are social animals. Betting used to be about going down to your local bookmakers, where you could meet with and interact with likeminded people. The rise of internet gambling has made it a much more individual hobby, but humans are social animals and the new generation of punters crave that interaction. They’ve grown up with Twitch streaming and internet watch parties and this is part of their life experience. The popularity of Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday or Channel 4’s Gogglebox is proof that people can enjoy watching other people watching TV, but our offering is so much more interactive than that.”

S:B:M is a new start-up business, based in Leeds, and formed by six friends with experience in both the broadcasting and gambling industries who saw what was happening to the two industries and spotted this gap in the market. S:B:M Chief Operating Officer,

Naz Premji, said: “This project exemplifies what the broadcast industry has known for a while and what the bookmaking industry is still finding out, with so many bookmakers still producing lacklustre media content and expecting it to go viral. Simply turning to the internet for answers isn’t enough anymore. There’s so much consumable media out there that you have to be producing content that is high-quality and different to get noticed. Anyone who has listened to an S:B:M betting Podcast will know our commitment to high-end broadcasting and this new project is an extension of that.”

The Hot Mic app is available to download now via the App Store for Apple devices, or Google Play for Android. Sports Betting TV’s first broadcast on Friday 7th August will start at 7pm and feature the two 2nd-leg last-16 Champions League fixtures that night; Manchester City v Real Madrid and Juventus v Lyon.

For sponsorship opportunities, email sales@sportsbroadcastmedia.co.uk

About S:B:M Sports Betting Media LLP is a newly-launched Yorkshire-based company that delivers high-quality podcast and radio services to the bookmaking industry and already has a global client base. Combined, the six founding partners have over a century of experience working on TV and radio stations such as TalkSport, BBC 5Live, BBC World Service, Sky and DAZN. All the partners also have wide experience working in the broadcast centres of major bookmakers and betting-related brands.

About HotMic Founded in early 2019, HotMic is a unique watch party platform that can synchronize to any television by simply listening to it, connecting fans from all over in real time without delays or spoilers. With offices in the U.S. and United Kingdom, HotMic is leading a global watch party revolution focused on live sports, bringing a fun, interactive and you-have-to-be-here atmosphere for all sports fans. HotMic’s mission is to work with partners to create a new kind of social network that values engagement over distraction, and collaboration over competition. For more, visit www.hotmic.io, and download the HotMic app in the App Store and on Google Play. Sports Broadcast Media, Sports Betting TV and Hot Mic are Copyright of the relevant companies in their respective territories.

For more information regarding our services, and prices, email sales@sportsbroadcastmedia.co.uk