theScore’s DNA is mobile, says CEO Levy

A company that began by designing for flip phones has a natural advantage in delivering mobile sports, says its boss.

John Levy, Chairman and CEO of theScore (theScore Stock Quote, Chart, News: TSXV:SCR) presented today at the Euro Pacific Canada Digital Media and Technology Conference in Toronto. Levy says the company’s long focus on creating a lean product pays ongoing dividends today.

“Our data comes through faster than any other sports service,” he said.

Levy says there are three foundations to theScore’s business. First, the company works with established brands, puts a focus on engineering with an expanding development team, and creates mobile first content. He says these are the reasons theScore boasts higher levels of engagement on Facebook than brands such as Bleacher Report, Fox Sports or ESPN.

In February, theScore announced the the release of an app that allows users to follow the world of competitive online gaming, a space sometimes referred to as “eSports”. By downloading the app, which is available in Google Play and in iOS, enthusiasts can follow live scoring and breaking news from games such as Dota 2, Call of Duty, League of Legends and StarCraft 2, all of which boast established leagues.

Levy says he thinks there is a huge opportunity in eSports, and is surprised at how dismissive some have been of the space, including ESPN president John Skipper, who was recently quoted as saying: “It’s not a sport—it’s a competition. Chess is a competition. Checkers is a competition. Mostly, I’m interested in doing real sports.”

In April, Euro Pacific Canada analyst Rob Goff raised his price target on theScore. The analyst says the company is positioned squarely in the middle of the burgeoning digital mobile advertising market.

“We attribute the improving user revenues to the increased user engagement and improving yields that will increasingly find a positive consideration for the social platform usage,” said Goff. “Management indicated that US programmatic advertising yields were higher on the quarter. We see the potential for further gains through emerging private network platforms where content suppliers are garnering premium yields,” he said.