Better Collective is undergoing leadership changes within its North American operations.
North America CEO Marc Pedersen announced that he is stepping down from his role after joining the digital sports media company in 2007. Pedersen began his tenure at Better Collective as a manager of Scandinavian markets before working his way up to CEO of the company’s North America operations in 2019. Pedersen was responsible for facilitating the company’s mergers and acquisitions throughout the region with the former CEO being behind the acquisitions of VegasInsider, RotoGrinders, Action Network and Playmaker.
Under Pedersen’s leadership, Better Collective reported strong revenue growth from $260,000 in revenue in 2018 to more than $100 million in annual revenue since 2022. Its North American media brands have also surpassed 1 billion views and downloads.
Pedersen helped Better Collective navigate lukewarm profits and spending. In 2024, North America revenue for Better Collective reached $112 million, down from $113 million in 2023. The company also laid off more than 300 employees in October 2024 following a review of the company’s operational costs. The cuts were 15% of the company’s workforce.
“It’s no secret that the North American market proved more challenging than we initially expected,” said Pedersen. “That makes me even prouder of what our team accomplished.”
Pedersen is relinquishing his role after Better Collective underwent a restructuring in May following a review of the company’s operations. The restructuring had co-founder and former COO Christian Kirk Rasmussen take the role as co-CEO with Jesper Søgaard.
Better Collective also decided to no longer deploy a region-based model for its operations but split the business into three separate verticals: Publishing, Paid Media and eSports.
Better Collective has yet to announce a new hire amid Pedersen’s exit. SBC Americas reached out to Better Collective regarding any potential management changes.
Brazil to impact Better Collective’s bottom line
Better Collective expects full-year revenue in 2025 to take a step back. Last year, the Denmark-based company generated $386.7 million in revenue, up 14% year-over-year. Better Collective also reported an EBITDA before special items of $118 million in 2024.
Better Collective projects full-year revenue in 2025 to range between $333 million and $365 million with its EBITDA expected to remain flat compared to last year.
The digital sports media company anticipates a year-over-year decline in revenue due to the regulation of Brazil’s gaming market earlier this year. Better Collective estimates up to a 70% decline in Brazilian revenue share income due to taxation and customer churn.
Better Collective leadership helped the company prepare for its launch in Brazil with the acquisition of Playmaker Capital establishing a footprint in South America.
