Today, ConnectedTravel, LLC, a connected vehicle technology platform and application services developer, Radioline, a global b2b radio & podcast solutions developer, and Simplebet, the technology company reimagining the way fans engage with live sports, announced SmartRadio, a product that enables sports fans to safely place bets by voice while driving and listening to radio play-by-play broadcasts.
The companies have been developing an alternative to the traditional AM / FM broadcast radio experience, enabling drivers and passengers to instantly engage with what they hear. The product, SmartRadio, works with Google’s Android Automotive system and enables drivers and passengers to transact with radio programming in real-time, including gamifying programming and making advertising shoppable, disrupting Radio’s century old listen now, remember to follow-up later, CPM-based advertising business model.
Among SmartRadio’s first consumer experiences will be free-to-play and real-money sports betting, leveraging Simplebet’s proprietary automated operations platform. The company has developed a suite of innovative micro-betting products which enable sports fans to interact with NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and basketball games. Sports fans can safely bet while driving and listening to sportscasts in their car, compete with friends and other fans, earn points and win prizes from game sponsors.
For example, the baseball experience allows drivers and passengers to bet on each at bat or pitch in a Dodgers game, earn points for each correct bet, accumulate prizes for your winning streaks, and a grand prize for earning enough points. Points can then be redeemed for goods and services via the players mobile phone in local shops or online retailers. A configurable gaming backend allows the game rules and prizes to be customized for each sponsor’s unique challenge or competition.
“As we continue to pioneer new ways for fans to engage with live sporting events, we’re thrilled to partner with ConnectedTravel and Radioline for this first-of-its-kind experience,” said Chris Bevilacqua, Co-Founder and CEO of Simplebet.
The legalized U.S. sports betting market doubled in 2021 with more than $52.7 billion being wagered throughout the year, according to data intelligence from Morning Consult. Online (mobile and desktop) gambling alone is set to grow to $2.2 billion, according to Techavio. The spike has come as a result of legal sports betting launching in 30 states, 18 that allow online wagering, and billions of dollars spent on marketing by gambling operators looking to attract new customers. Advertising is at an all-time high with sports betting companies like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars and Ballys spending nearly $500m in 2021 to reach sports fans.
The only business model for reaching the U.S.’s 282 million licensed drivers during the average 55 minutes per day they spend in the car is based solely upon radio’s traditional advertising solutions. Drive time represents over 70% of broadcast radio listening time according to Edison Research.
“The integration of emerging technologies like Voice, Payments, and eCommerce in vehicles, unlocks drive time empowering drivers to instantly and safely interact with audio programming. Drivers can play with and buy what they hear, and engage at the moments they are most inspired. Making radio transactable will inspire a new generation of innovative in-vehicle infotainment, and measurably open the $40 billion global broadcast radio marketplace for growth,” according to Bryan Biniak, CEO, of ConnectedTravel.
ConnectedTravel’s SmartRadio solution is being integrated into Radioline’s Android Automotive, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay Applications. Radioline supports over 110,000 Radio Streams and Podcasts from 164 countries, in 18 different languages. The Radioline application is published cross platform including TV, Online, Mobile, Wearables, and Vehicles.
“Radioline’s SmartRadio enabled application will be available for the 100m+ Android Automotive vehicles being produced by leading auto OEMs including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Honda, Nissan, and Volvo gamifying sportscasts and enabling sports fans around the world to participate in their games with friends and families on road trips and everyday commutes,” stated Xavier Filliol, COO of Radioline.
The SmartRadio solution and in-vehicle Sports Betting are currently in consumer testing and will be available to more sports fans this fall.
Executives from ConnectedTravel, Radioline and Simplebet will be demonstrating the SmartRadio in-vehicle betting experience on a Polestar 2 this weekend at the National Association of Broadcasters annual conference in Las Vegas.
