01 / Covers mobile platform

Turning reach into a habit

A mobile strategy for moving beyond episodic search traffic and building a stronger direct relationship with sports fans and bettors.

Role: Mobile product strategy and portfolio leadership
Scope: iOS, Android, web-to-app, partnerships, monetization

Product evidence

The app had to earn the return visit.

I wanted the product to bring the full betting journey together: live scores, market context, matchup intelligence, player projections, and expert judgment in one repeatable mobile experience.

Covers app launch creative showing matchup predictions and expert picks on two phones — Launch assetA clearer mobile proposition
I wanted the launch story to be instantly clear: expert picks, a faster bet-building workflow, and live sports context in one place.
Launch creative supplied by me.

Covers app scores screen showing live NFL game state, odds, and matchup links — Launch assetScores as the daily entry point
Scores bring together live game state, market context, and a direct path into deeper matchup decisions—the kind of utility that creates a reason to return.
Product render supplied by me.

Covers app NFL matchup screen showing odds, predicted score, and game predictions — Launch assetA decision-ready matchup
The matchup view brings odds, our predicted score, and game-level recommendations together so the next decision feels obvious without losing the underlying context.
Product render supplied by me.

Covers app Anthony Edwards player page showing stats, projections, expected value, and expert analysis — Launch assetPlayer research in one surface
Player pages connect season form, projections, price, expected value, and expert analysis—turning scattered research into one coherent decision surface.
Product render supplied by me.

Covers app picks feed showing expert selections, projections, expected value, hit rate, and analysis — Launch assetA picks feed worth returning to
The picks feed is built for repeat utility: personalized signals, fast filtering, transparent projections, and analysis that is easy to act on.
Product render supplied by me.

Context

Covers entered the work with a strong media brand, valuable search reach, and a clear opportunity to make its mobile product more central to repeat sports behavior.

Business problem

The strategic question was not simply how to ship a better app. It was how mobile could improve retention, partner conversion, and long-term customer value without weakening the web engine that created reach.

Strategic insight

The app had to earn a distinct place in the customer journey. Habit, identity, bet workflow, and live utility needed to work as one system rather than a collection of features.

Customer behaviorWhat repeated action creates durable value?

Product choiceWhere can the experience earn a distinct role?

Business outcomeHow does the behavior support sustainable growth?

Evidence

sequence

From episodic reach to a repeat relationship

01Discover

Search and web reach

02Continue

A coherent web-to-app journey

03Return

Scores, odds, picks and identity

04Compound

Retention, conversion and customer value

The product strategy connects the strength of web discovery to a mobile experience designed for repeat utility.Original strategy diagram based on the public portfolio scope described in my resume.

portfolio

One portfolio, four product teams

01Mobile

Native iOS and Android

02Community

Identity and repeat participation

03Handicapping

Picks and decision support

04Sports data

Live utility and context

The work aligns mobile, community, handicapping, sports data and core betting around a shared customer behavior.Original portfolio map; no confidential roadmap or partner terms are shown.

Key decisions

Sequence the roadmap around repeat utility before adding breadth.
Treat web-to-app as a product journey, not a marketing handoff.
Design sportsbook integrations around continuity and trust.
Balance partner value with a durable direct customer relationship.

Cross-functional leadership

I lead this work across mobile and web product, design, engineering, analytics, marketing, partnerships, monetization, and executive stakeholders.

What shipped

Covers app bringing scores, odds, picks, and predictions into one experience
Mobile roadmap and operating model
Web-to-app acquisition improvements
Sportsbook deep-link and betslip experience planning
App Store positioning and growth work

Outcomes

Launched native iOS and Android apps for a historically web-first product.

Expanded the product relationship across a consumer audience of more than 40 million.

Aligned four product teams around customer habit, partner value, and monetization.

Tradeoffs

This is an active strategy chapter, so I focus here on the decisions and operating model rather than unreleased work or partner terms.

Lesson

A channel becomes a product when it earns a recurring role in the customer's life.

Team credit

Built with product, design, engineering, analytics, commercial, marketing, and partnership teams across Covers and Legend.

Next case study

Designing the second screen

theScore live experiences