As Boomerang Partners gears up for Season 3 of the Golden Boomerang Awards, what can you reveal to us about what lies ahead?
Season 3 is more structured than previous years. Instead of one continuous competition, we’ve built it as a five-month journey split into three stages, each with its own dynamics and main prize. This season is built around the “Beyond the Moment” concept – the focus is not just on quick results, but on how consistently teams can perform over time. The Kickoff stage is already live, and its main reward is a trip to the Wimbledon Championships. It sets the pace early on – affiliate teams that enter from the start have more time to build momentum and secure a stronger position.
We’ve also added bonus mechanics that directly impact scoring. They allow participants to significantly increase their points.
Overall, the format is less about a strong start and more about how you manage the full distance. Timing and use of mechanics can make a real difference.
In what ways do you think this season has advanced the awards compared to the last?
I think the biggest shift this season is that the competition has become more demanding. In the earlier editions, a fast start could give participants a strong advantage. Some teams managed to get ahead early and hold on to that lead. Now it’s much harder to rely on that. The season’s structure pushes teams to stay consistent and adjust their strategy over time.
That’s what changed the way teams approach it. We now see more planning, more focus on resource allocation and fewer attempts to rely on one strong push at the beginning.
At the same time, the scale has grown noticeably. In 2024, we had 226 teams. In 2025, that number passed 400. This year, even before the launch, we were getting messages from affiliate partners asking when the new season would start. It shows that GBA is becoming something the market expects and plans around. So the main difference is not just in the format, but in the level of competition it creates. You can’t win it with one strong period – you have to stay competitive from start to finish.
Where did the idea of running awards ceremonies as ‘seasons’ come from, how does it work, and how do you think it has benefitted the awards long-term?
The idea of running Golden Boomerang Awards as a season came quite naturally from how the sports industry works. Sport is never about a single moment – it’s about performance over time. Form, consistency and the ability to stay competitive across different stages are what really define success.
We wanted to bring that same logic into the affiliate space, where results are often judged in much shorter cycles
In practice, this means a longer competition split into stages, where teams need to manage their performance across the full distance, not just aim for a quick result. It also aligns with our broader focus. We’re strengthening our position in the sports segment and aiming to become a key partner in this space. And the timing of the season plays a big role here. It overlaps with some of the most active periods in sport – from the NBA and NHL playoffs and decisive European football matches to Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the FIFA World Cup. This creates a constant flow of high-impact events, where affiliates can scale and test their strategies in real time. As a reminder, back in January, we introduced the Sports Marketing and Betting Calendar 2026 – a tool where we share our expertise in sports traffic and help affiliates plan around key events and traffic peaks. A seasonal format fits that environment much better than a one-off competition.
From a practical perspective, it gives affiliate teams more structure. They can plan ahead, allocate resources, and adjust their strategy throughout the season. In the long term, this approach benefits the Golden Boomerang Awards by making them more sustainable. Teams stay engaged longer, follow their progress, and treat GBA as part of their yearly strategy, not just a one-time competition.
How do you think the Golden Boomerang Awards has found its place within the affiliate sector, and what were the challenges in this part of the process?
When we launched the Golden Boomerang Awards in 2024, we clearly saw a gap in the industry. There are plenty of affiliate programs focused on payouts and short-term performance, but very few platforms that combine competition, visibility, and recognition in a structured way. That’s exactly the role GBA stepped into. It gave affiliate teams something beyond routine traffic delivery – a way to benchmark themselves, track their progress, and get recognized for consistent results.
At the same time, building that position wasn’t instant. One of the main challenges was trust. Affiliates need to understand how results are measured, how transparent the system is, and whether the competition is fair. We had to prove that GBA is not just a marketing activity, but a performance-based environment with clear mechanics and a leaderboard that reflects real results.
Over time, as more teams joined and returned, that trust started to build.
Now we see that the Golden Boomerang Awards is no longer something new – it’s becoming an expected event in the industry, one that helps define top-performing affiliates. It’s becoming part of how affiliate teams plan their year and measure their performance against others, which is also reflected in the growing interest we see with each new season.
When you think back to the very first Golden Boomerang Awards, what has changed for the ceremony between then and now?
The biggest change is the role the ceremony plays in the whole tournament. From the beginning, we didn’t want it to be a standard awards night where people just collect trophies. It had to feel like the final moment of a long and demanding run – something you’ve actually earned over time. In Season 1, we held the ceremony in Cyprus. It was more about bringing the community together and setting the foundation. In Season 2, we took it further, hosting it at the iconic San Siro Stadium in Milan through our partnership with AC Milan.
That shifted the scale completely and made the experience much more connected to the world of sport. Now the focus is to keep pushing that experience further. We want the ceremony to be more than recognition – it should feel like access to something you don’t usually get. This year, the ceremony will take place in Lisbon during SBC Summit, which puts it right at the
center of one of the key industry events. We expect strong attention from the market, as it brings together competition, recognition, and the wider affiliate community in one place. Because in the end, it’s not just about winning. It’s about where that win takes you.