Radioline, a global B2B radio and podcast solutions developer, has teamed up with ConnectedTravel, LLC, a connected-vehicle technology platform and application services developer, and digital betting company Simplebet to create an innovative way sportslovers can interact with games while driving. The outcome is SmartRadio, a product that enables sports fans in the United States to safely place bets by voice while driving and listening to radio play-by-play broadcasts.
SmartRadio currently 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.
Radioline is integrating SmartRadio into its Android Auto application. Radioline supports over 110,000 radio streams and podcasts from 164 countries in 18 different languages. The SmartRadio solution is currently in consumer testing and will be available to more sports fans later this year.
Betting while driving
“Radioline’s SmartRadio enabled application will be available for the 100m+ Android Automotive vehicles and enable 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.
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.
Tapping into the billions
“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 company is well-placed to benefit from a spike in gaming in the U.S. – a result of legal sports betting launching in 30 states, 18 of which allow online wagering, and the billions of dollars spent on marketing by gambling operators looking to attract new customers. SmartRadio is aimed at potential customers in cars. According to Edison Research, drive time represents over 70% of broadcast radio listening time in the U.S. and yet the only business model for reaching its 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.
Hence SmartRadio. “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 when 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.