The collaboration will involve the Malta-based affiliate becoming Lee Enterprises’ exclusive partner for online sports betting and casino gaming content for three years. The US publisher currently operates in 77 markets in 26 states, with a focus on local news.
The deal will also include Catena working with Lee Enterprises’ betting brand, Frontpagebets.com to publish editorial and advertorial betting content, which will be supported through the US publisher’s social media channels.
The affiliate has said that the deal will help create growth opportunities in existing igaming states as well as “provide a springboard in other states ahead of potential market launches”.
Ryan Harper, vice president of Catena North America, believes that the deal will be beneficial for both companies. “Lee Enterprises is one of the largest publishers in the US and we are excited to work with them to bring high-quality editorial and advertorial betting content to their readers nationwide,” said Harper.
“The partnership with Lee allows us to continue to grow and bring our content to a broader audience,” the vice president of Catena North America added. “Our mission is to make sports betting and casino gaming more accessible and engaging for players, and this new collaboration aligns perfectly with that ambition.”
Joe Battistoni, Lee Enterprises’ vice president of sales and marketing said that the partnership with Catena Media “enables us to expand our offerings in this space.” He went on to add that the company “look forward to working with Catena Media to provide readers with insightful and informative content on online sports betting and casino gaming.”
North American growth
Most recently, Catena announced that North American growth helped the company return to net profit in 2022, following a 24% year-on-year increase in revenue from North American operations.