“Video content presents a tremendous opportunity for affiliates to engage new and existing players”, explains Michael Pedersen, Chief Commercial Officer at Livespins.

Content is king for all industry stakeholders, whether that be an online casino operator looking to stock its lobby with the latest slot titles, a studio developing the next blockbuster hit or streamers seeking explosive games to play to their audiences.

Another industry stakeholder in need of quality content is affiliates. While traditionally this content has been primarily in written form, publishers are now broadening their scope to include other channels like podcasts and video.

The demand for video content is incredibly high – according to an article on SproutSocial, video’s share of average daily social network time hit 56.4% in 2023?and is expected to rise to 60.1% by 2025. Affiliates have to meet this demand in order to engage players where their attention can be found.

There are several reasons why video content is a must for affiliates.

Search engines and their ranking factors

Most affiliates fight their greatest battles in the search engine results pages. Ranking highly in Google, Bing, Yahoo and so on for the top keywords is what drives large volumes of relevant traffic to an affiliate site.

In the past, the quality of the written content on the site was crucial to securing the top spots, and while this is still the case today, search providers also expect to see top-notch video content included on pages as well.

But just like the written content on the page, video content must provide value to players whether that be through the information they provide or the entertainment value they deliver.

Reaching players beyond Google

The great thing about video content is that it can be deployed across various channels from YouTube and Twitch to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Affiliates need to tread carefully as there are rules and guidelines to adhere to but if they crack the code, there’s a huge opportunity to reach new audiences.

Affiliates now need to operate like a brand, and that means having a presence across all platforms and audience touchpoints, including social media.

This is certainly the case for those looking to tap into Millennial and Gen Z audiences who spend huge amounts of time on their smartphones and often use social media to learn more about and discover new entertainment options.

The combined opportunities in paid media and the effectiveness of video content in engaging audiences, boosting brand awareness, and driving site traffic underscore the importance for affiliates to establish a robust video strategy and production capability.

Becoming an entertainment destination

Affiliates are always looking to deliver more value to players, so they ultimately spend more time on their sites and video content is an effective way of doing this. The subject matter of videos can be varied, but those showing gameplay and big wins are particularly popular.

Players love to be able to see what each game has in store before they fire up the reels themselves, and watching other players land big, mega and epic wins proves the game can deliver massive payouts. What’s more, watching someone land a big win is almost as exciting as hitting one yourself.

To be able to publish this sort of content, affiliates have historically had to set up their own streaming channels, but this is not without its challenges.

The investment required to launch a channel is significant and goes beyond hardware (PC, lights, microphones, capturing and editing software) to cover things like streaming budgets (big wins require big bankrolls), streamers, studio backdrops and more.

Affiliates who venture into the world of streaming also need to be mindful of the rules set by platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, and ultimately the casino brands and slot providers they choose to work with.

Twitch has previously banned the casinos it believes were behaving inappropriately on its platform.

Accessing a stream of video content

Another option is for affiliates to work with studios or other providers to gain access to ready-made video clips – something that Livespins is keen to provide to publishers looking to offer video content for the first time or enhance their current offering.

Livespins has a vast library of content generated by streamers which affiliates can access. This includes streamers unboxing slot games (Livespins has more than 40+ studios on the platform) and talking players through each of the bonus features plus those hugely popular big win videos.

Affiliates can incorporate this video content into game previews and reviews, produce dedicated big win pages and of course share content across social media channels and other platforms. That they can do all this without investing in their own studio is a game changer.

The demand for video content is only going to rise and affiliates need to get in on the action or risk being left behind.

Content is still very much king, but for affiliates and all other stakeholders, that content is increasingly taking the video form.

WHAT’S NEXT: SiGMA East Europe Summit powered by Soft2Bet, happening in Budapest from 2 – 4 September.