PADDY POWER DEBUTS LONG-FORM TV SITCOM “THE VAR ROOM”

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has launched a new sitcom, The VAR Room, broadcast on both terrestrial TV and streaming services. 

The 23-minute comedy, written by Paddy Power Creative Content Managers Steven Quick and Noel Slevin, is set behind the scenes at Stockley Park – where the video assistant referee (VAR) system for English football is based. 

Paddy Power says we can expect to see a star-studded lineup with guest appearances from former pro footballers Alan Curbishley, Paul Ince, and Teddy Sheringham, along with former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg. 

The initial series consists of four episodes, and debuted on Ireland’s Virgin Media Two at 10.30pm yesterday, continuing for the next three Wednesdays. It will also be available on Paddy Power’s YouTube channel and streamed on Amazon Prime later in the month. 

In a statement, Paddy Power said: “The shambles at Stockley Park last season gave our brilliantly talented writers enough creative ideas to fuel an entire sitcom series, which Virgin Media and Amazon Prime wanted a piece of too. We have long been renowned at Paddy Power for our content – and we really feel we’ve raised the bar with The VAR Room, which we hope is our first sitcom series of many from our team.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Will other operators follow Paddy Power’s lead and start investing in long-form video content like this? With marketing getting ever more challenging due a combination of desensitisation and regulations, it might offer an effective way forward. 

Just a word of note to avoid confusion, if you’re looking for the new series on Paddy Power’s YouTube channel, be aware there’s also a series of shorts, also called The VAR Room, uploaded in 2019.