Sportfive and Supponor extend their Virtual Advertising partnership for a further 3 years

SPORTFIVE, the global sports business agency, and Supponor, the global leader in virtual advertising technology and solutions for live broadcast sports, have agreed to extend their cooperation, which has been in place since 2017, by a further three years. SPORTFIVE and Supponor currently offer the only virtual advertising solution approved and licensed by the DFL for commercial operations in the Bundesliga.

For SPORTFIVE, virtual advertising creates new high impact, high-value TV visible advertising inventory within Bundesliga matches. Sponsors and advertisers benefit from the reach and worldwide attention of one of the top leagues worldwide. The reach of the Bundesliga has recently been boosted once again by being the first and only European top league to have a successful restart. The possibilities of digital overlay of advertising boards is of decisive importance especially for global and regional sponsoring partnerships outside the German-speaking market. Fans in the stadiums and domestic TV audiences see no change from the physical, in-stadium messages while messages shown to TV audiences in other markets can be individually targeted by virtually overlaying the existing animated perimeter LED boards from within the live broadcast signal.

For the past 2 seasons Supponor’s proprietary technology platform has been proven to reliably and authentically modify the regular transmission delivering virtual multiplication of the perimeter advertising space to multiple international markets. This gives advertising partners a wide range of options such as the individual approach to target groups in different regions and the possibility of acquiring different partners per region for the rights-holders. The focus markets for addressing target groups and playing out individualised feeds are the USA, China, Thailand, Japan and EMEA. Within the TV signal for DACH, the LED boards can be seen as they are in the stadium, while the advertising spaces outside DACH are overlayed with individual content. A total of five TV feeds are currently being produced with individual advertising messages adapted to each feed and region:

  1. Feed DACH region without digital overlay
  2. Feed Americas with digital overlay of the advertising board
  3. Feed EMEA with digital overlay of the advertising board
  4. Feed South Asia with digital overlay of the advertising board
  5. Feed South East Asia with digital overlay of the advertising board

Thanks to the virtual advertising technology exclusively licensed by the DFL, SPORTFIVE customers can book one, several or all feeds and thus play out their advertising offers to a global TV audience (depending on the virtual advertising feeds booked). Supponor virtual advertising will also once again be present in the production of all home Bundesliga matches of Borussia Dortmund, delivering 5 different feeds as well as selected home matches of other cooperation clubs by SPORTFIVE from the German Bundesliga, such as Hertha BSC, FC Augsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The worldwide fan community of the German Bundesliga can thus follow unique moments in sport on TV while relevant and region-specific advertising messages are displayed on the relevant advertising spaces.

In the future it is also planned to implement static or animated virtual 3D cam carpets and to individualise the popular 3D tool for international markets.

Philipp Hasenbein, COO at SPORTFIVE, says:

“We are proud that together with our partners we have been able to pave the way for further innovations in the industry. This technology enables brands and rights-holders to create real, additional value. The novel use of the cam carpets underlines our role as an innovation driver in this field. We thus support our partners in further positioning themselves in the respective target markets and in reaching their target groups with country-specific advertising messages”.

James B Gambrell, CEO of Supponor, says:

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with SPORTFIVE as a testament to the powerful collaborative relationship we have built. The announcement of our extended cooperation comes at a time where engaging with audiences is more important than ever and virtual advertising technology can be the key to this improved fan engagement and interaction with Sponsors, Leagues and Clubs. We look forward to working with SPORTFIVE as we continue to grow our partnership beyond Germany by expanding virtual solutions in live sport across the globe.”

In the last two seasons, the virtual perimeter advertising was implemented at 60 matches in 10 different stadiums. More than 50 brands have then taken the opportunity for targeted communication in international markets and sponsoring revenues have been generated in the 8-digit range. In the medium term, the aim is to implement the technology in additional markets, such as France or England. As a global agency and pioneer in the sports business, SPORTFIVE is continuing its successful course in the field of virtual advertising and driving forward its further development worldwide.

About Supponor

Supponor pioneered and is the clear market leader in delivering virtual replacement technology of TV-visible signage for real-time broadcast and streaming of in-venue sports advertising. Their advanced technology platform delivers the most powerful and impactful brand activation in broadcast sport by integrating powerful augmented reality overlays with traditional broadcast quality solutions. As a pure-play technology solutions provider, Supponor has over 15 years of experience in research, development, testing, integration and commercial deployment. Supponor has commercially deployed its virtual advertising replacement solutions at hundreds of live broadcast events across 10 major broadcast territories in Football (LaLiga, German Bundesliga, Serie A, FA), Hockey (NHL), Motor Racing (F1), American Football (NFL), Basketball (NBA) and other Tier 1 Sports. Supponor is based in London and Helsinki and is backed by leading VCs and institutional investors. More information: www.supponor.com

ABOUT SPORTFIVE

SPORTFIVE utilizes the unique emotional power of sports to create and enable pioneering partnerships in sports. By delivering responsible commercialization, full-service-solutions and long-term value for all stakeholders in sports, SPORTFIVE strategically and creatively connects brands, rightsholders, media platforms and fans by leveraging a global network paired with decades of experience and innovative spirit. As market leader and with customer centricity and vast data intelligence at its core, SPORTFIVE often leads the sports business into the future through its innovative digital solutions and thereby always aims to be the most progressive and respected partner in sports. SPORTFIVE operates as an international sports business and marketing agency with a global mindset and network of over 1,200 local experts based in 15 countries around the world, active in football, golf, esports, motorsport, handball, tennis, American football and many more. For more information please visit SPORTFIVE’s website, content hub and social profiles.


Supponor strengthens its presence in the Spanish market with the opening of a new office in Barcelona

Supponor opens Barcelona office and appoints commercial and product specialists from FC Barcelona and Mediapro to support the growing importance of virtual advertising to Spanish football and media rights

Supponor, the global leader in virtual advertising technology and solutions in live broadcast sports, is delighted to announce the opening of its new office in Spain. The company has chosen Barcelona as a strategic location that will reinforce its commitment to continuing innovation and expansion of its sixth season of commercial deployment in LaLiga.

The opening of the new office follows the recent long-term deployment agreement with FC Barcelona which was followed by the multi-year renewal with Mediapro to continue to deploy Supponor’s advanced virtual advertising technologies in LaLiga and elsewhere in Spain.

Supponor’s innovative virtual advertising solutions are delivered using certified perimeter LED systems from TGI and operated by Mediapro as the exclusive production partner for LaLiga. Matches played by FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona already deliver multi-feed virtual LED perimeter and virtual camera carpet solutions to approximately 25% of all top flight LaLiga matches each season with further growth planned.

James B Gambrell, CEO of Supponor, said:

“The opening of the office in Barcelona demonstrates our commitment to our clients and partners in Spain. Despite the uncertainty caused by COVID-19, Supponor continues to invest to support growth in the Spanish market to support further European expansion and as the foundation for our larger growth ambitions in the Spanish speaking world.

The new office will be headed up by Casper Siewertsen who will oversee commercial activities with strategic account partners, and Ben Arnold, who will provide local support for continued product & solution development. Casper joins Supponor after 5-years at FC Barcelona where he worked as part of the Business Intelligence on the development of the commercial offering of virtual advertising. Ben returns to Supponor after many years working for Mediapro on the initial development and deployment of Supponor’s virtual advertising operations in Spain.

Casper Siewertsen commented that “The importance of Supponor’s successful commercial deployment in Spain with Mediapro, its long term broadcast production and rights partner, along with FC Barcelona, underpins LaLiga’s importance as a global reference for innovation in virtual advertising and Supponor’s proven technology leadership with key industry players in Europe and around the world.”.


About Supponor

Supponor pioneered and is the clear market leader in delivering virtual replacement technology of TV-visible signage for real-time broadcast and streaming of in-venue sports advertising. Our advanced technology platform delivers the most powerful and impactful brand activation in broadcast sport by integrating powerful augmented reality overlays with traditional broadcast quality solutions. This dramatically enhances the value of media and marketing rights for mass-audience sporting events for sports rights holders and their brand sponsor and broadcast partners.

As a pure-play technology solutions provider, Supponor has over 15 years of experience in research, development, testing, integration and commercial deployment. Supponor has commercially deployed its virtual advertising replacement solutions at hundreds of live broadcast events across 10 major broadcast territories in Football (LaLiga, German Bundesliga, Serie A, FA), Hockey (NHL), Motor Racing (F1), American Football (NFL), Basketball (NBA) and other Tier 1 Sports.

Supponor is based in London and Helsinki and is backed by leading VCs and institutional investors.

For more information, please visit www.supponor.com (all videos are from live, real-time broadcast productions) or watch us live every week on your broadcast television.


Mediapro extends their multi-year contract with Supponor for the use of advanced virtual advertising technologies

Supponor, the global leader in virtual advertising technology and solutions in live sports, is delighted to announce the signing of a new long-term licensing agreement for their products with leading sports media and audiovisual content production company, Mediapro. This includes continued use of Supponor’s DBRLive (Digital Billboard Replacement) virtual LED perimeter replacement product and their innovative NSA (Natural Scene Augmentation) virtual carpets product. DBRLive has been used by Mediapro in La Liga football matches in Spain since 2015 and NSA since 2017.

The extension agreement with Mediapro follows the recent deal signed directly between Supponor and FC Barcelona and also includes a provision for Mediapro to  offer virtual services to other sports federations based in Spain.

DBRLive continues to grow in Spain, now commercially deployed at over 80 La Liga matches per season. Matches covered include  all FC Barcelona matches (home and away), Real Madrid (away), Atletico Madrid (home and away) and Espanyol (home).

“Supponor technology gives us the ability to sell bespoke, targeted advertising on international feeds of La Liga games in an increasingly global marketplace,” comments Julian Fernandez, Commercial Dept, Mediapro. “It means we can tailor global sponsorship packages to take account of local tastes and language as well as sell regional and local advertising packages to new brands.”

The new contract gives Mediapro access to the very latest versions of both DBRLive and NSA, with both upgraded to include UHD/4K technical standards.

 

“This multi-year renewal is a great vote of confidence from both Mediapro and La Liga in our virtual advertising technology platform, our operations and our team,” comments James Gambrell, CEO, Supponor. “It confirms our position as the preeminent provider of virtual advertising technology and solutions in live sport. We look forward to working alongside Mediapro to expand their service beyond La Liga and into other leagues and federations across Spain’s vibrant sports sector.”

 

About SUPPONOR

SUPPONOR pioneered and is the clear market leader in delivering virtual replacement technology of TV-visible signage for real-time broadcast and streaming of in-venue sports advertising. Our advanced technology delivers the most powerful and impactful brand activation in broadcast sport by integrating powerful augmented reality overlays with traditional broadcast quality solutions. This dramatically enhances the value of media and marketing rights for mass-audience sporting events for sports rights holders and their brand sponsor and broadcast partners.

As a pure-play technology solutions provider, SUPPONOR has over 15 years of experience in research, development, testing, integration and commercial deployment. SUPPONOR has commercially deployed its virtual advertising replacement solutions at hundreds of live broadcast events across 10 major broadcast territories in Football (LaLiga, German Bundesliga, Serie A, FA), Hockey (NHL), Motor Racing (F1), American Football (NFL), Basketball (NBA) and other Tier 1 Sports.

SUPPONOR is based in London and Helsinki and is backed by leading VCs and institutional investors and is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme.

For more information, please visit www.Supponor.com (all videos are from live, real-time broadcast productions) or watch us live every week on your broadcast television.

 

About MEDIAPRO

MEDIAPRO is a benchmark in the European audiovisual sector, unique in its integration of audiovisual content, production and distribution with activity worldwide through its 58 offices on 4 continents.

The Group is engaged in significant activity in the area of smart city planning, the design and implementation of interactive museum spaces using cutting-edge technology and planning multi-platform content for marketing and advertising initiatives.

MEDIAPRO provides the creativity and technical solutions required to design, produce and distribute any audiovisual or multi-channel project to any corner of the globe together with the more than 7,000 people who make up the Group’s team of professionals and whose individual talent and professionalism contributes to its overall success.


RCD Espanyol de Barcelona joins stellar list of Supponor La Liga users

Supponor, the global leader in virtual advertising technology within live Tier 1 sports, is delighted to announce that RCD Espanyol de Barcelona is deploying its state-of-the-art technology at all its home games in La Liga. The leading soccer club’s games at the RCDE Stadium will now feature the use of Supponor’s innovative DBRLive virtual replacement technology and NSA virtual carpet placement solution which is offered in partnership with the worlds leading LED perimeter display specialist TGI.

The two Supponor technologies allow the placement of targeted adverts within the live feed that can be specifically geared towards geographic or demographic market segments. This is a particularly important consideration for La Liga clubs as they grow international audiences, providing an additional revenue stream with advertising and sponsorship deals targeted to fans wherever they are watching in the world.

The solution is being operated by Mediapro, which acts as the production partner for Supponor technical solutions in La Liga. Over the last six seasons, the deployment of Supponor’s virtual advertising solutions by Mediapro in La Liga has grown from a handful of games to over 80 per season. It now features in matches played by FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona.

“Virtual advertising helps to grow club revenues by making available new advertising opportunities on the international broadcast feeds of the club’s live matches,” says James B Gambrell, CEO, Supponor. “For example, RCD Espanyol de Barcelona is cultivating a large Chinese fan base given the popularity of its striker Wu Lei, who joined the club in 2019. This has created the opportunity to develop new sponsorship  opportunities and regional advertising revenues on the Asian feeds of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona’s matches using Supponor technology.”

“Virtual advertising solutions targeting different markets need to offer both technical  reliability and seamless operational capability to unlock the significant commercial returns for clubs such as Espanyol,” comments Julian Fernandez, Mediapro. “We are delighted with the way that the Supponor and TGI solution has worked in La Liga and look forward to further expansion and increased monetization opportunities with LaLiga clubs and participating global brands.”

 

About Supponor

Supponor pioneered and is the clear market leader in delivering virtual replacement technology of TV-visible signage for real-time broadcast and streaming of in-venue sports advertising. Our advanced technology delivers the most powerful and impactful brand activation in broadcast sport by integrating powerful augmented reality overlays with traditional broadcast quality solutions. This dramatically enhances the value of media and marketing rights for mass-audience sporting events for sports rights holders and their brand sponsor and broadcast partners.

As a pure-play technology solutions provider, Supponor has over 15 years of experience in research, development, testing, integration and commercial deployment. Supponor has commercially deployed its virtual advertising replacement solutions at hundreds of live broadcast events across 10 major broadcast territories in Football (LaLiga, German Bundesliga, Serie A, FA), Hockey (NHL), Motor Racing (F1), American Football (NFL), Basketball (NBA) and other Tier 1 Sports.

Supponor is based in London and Helsinki and is backed by leading VCs and institutional investors and is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme.

For more information, please visit www.Supponor.com (all videos are from live, real-time broadcast productions) or watch us live every week on your broadcast television.

About TGI

TGI (wwwt.tgi-worldwide.com) is Supponor’s preferred perimeter LED supplier for Spain and is certified to manufacture and operate certain models of Supponor-enabled LED solutions across Europe and the Americas.

TGI is the global market leader for delivery of high-end LED hardware and software solutions. We provide our services in a variety of sports including Soccer, Cricket, Rugby, Tennis, Basketball, at more than 3500 events per year to some of the worlds leading sports brands and competitions like FIFA, UEFA, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool FC, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and many more.

TGI helps rights holders to build new revenue streams through a full 360 degree digital agency approach to deliver turnkey solutions to our clients including IN BROADCAST services like LED perimeter and Virtual Broadcast, IN STADIA elements including multiple Display and AV Formats, Wireless infrastructure, including WIFI, software and data management platforms, reporting tools, match day operations and a number of fan engagement tools. BEYOND STADIA services including mobile apps, loyalty programs, content, data collection, analytics and segmentation.

TGI works closely with brands to help rights holders monetize their digital inventory in the most efficient manner.

TGI is part of QMS Media Group (ASX: QMS) with headquarters in Melbourne (Australia) and offices in Dusseldorf (Germany) London (UK), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Chicago (US).


Supponor and FC Barcelona strike deal to provide Virtual Advertising during LaLiga home games

Leading virtual advertising specialist to deploy its award-winning technical solution at Camp Nou, creating new global advertising opportunities in live sport

Supponor, the global leader in virtual advertising technology within live tier 1 sports, is delighted to announce the signing of a long-term agreement with FC Barcelona to supply their virtual advertising technology at all LaLiga home games, starting in the 2019/2020 season.

Supponor’s virtual advertising technology increases the availability, relevance and value of pitch-side LED boards by creating new, regionalized inventory in the live international broadcast feeds. Advertising seen on these boards will be different to that seen by fans watching in Camp Nou or viewing the domestic broadcast coverage. The technology therefore allows global sponsors to tailor their brand messages for different LaLiga audiences around the world, or for new sponsors to target their most relevant LaLiga audience watching live broadcasts from FC Barcelona games.

After 5 years of commercial deployment in LaLiga focusing on the production of key away matches of the leading clubs, including FC Barcelona, Supponor will now also enable virtual advertising on FC Barcelona home matches. This will allow Barça’s fans and club partners to engage in new and innovative ways of communicating during live matches.

James B Gambrell, CEO, Supponor said,

“After intensely researching and developing our technology for the past 15 years it is now proven and commercially deployed with many leading clubs, leagues and federations. As one of the most influential clubs in world football, we are delighted to be part of FC Barcelona’s rapidly growing international reach as Barca continues to consolidate its brand positioning in key international markets. It is set to achieve its historic goal of exceeding €1B in annual revenues at the same time as joining our growing roster of clients.”

 

About Supponor

Supponor pioneered and is the clear market leader in delivering virtual replacement technology of TV-visible signage for real-time broadcast and streaming of in-venue sports advertising. Our advanced technology delivers the most powerful and impactful brand activation in broadcast sport by integrating powerful augmented reality overlays with traditional broadcast quality solutions. This dramatically enhances the value of media and marketing rights for mass-audience sporting events for sports rights holders and their brand sponsor and broadcast partners.

As a pure-play technology solutions provider, Supponor has over 15 years of experience in research, development, testing, integration and commercial deployment. Supponor has commercially deployed its virtual advertising replacement solutions at hundreds of live broadcast events across 10 major broadcast territories in Football (LaLiga, German Bundesliga, Serie A, FA), Hockey (NHL), Motor Racing (F1), American Football (NFL), Basketball (NBA) and other Tier 1 Sports.

Supponor is based in London and Helsinki and is backed by leading VCs and institutional investors and is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme.

For more information, please visit www.Supponor.com (all videos are from live, real-time broadcast productions) or watch us live every week on your broadcast television.

About FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona was founded in 1899, and is unique in many ways. The club is owned by its more than 145,000 members and can boast of being the most successful club in Europe over the last years. Since season 2004/05 they have won four of the Club’s five Champions League titles and ten of their 26 domestic league titles. Due to its very special personality, ‘Barça’ is recognized as being ‘more than a club’. The team’s distinctive style of play is projected around the world by the best players and coaches of their time in combination with club’s famous reliance on homegrown talent.

All of this goes hand in hand with its ongoing ambition to become the most admired, beloved and global sports institution on the planet. This mission is supported by such core principles as humility, effort, ambition, respect and team-work, while the club is also famed for its commitment to society, which is channeled through the FC Barcelona Foundation and its work to educate children through the positive values of sport. Such unstoppable growth in recent years has led to a global reach of more than 340 million fans and made FC Barcelona a world leader on social media.


Supponor Wins Vodafone’s 5G DIG Start-up Battle at Unbound London

Supponor is delighted to have been part of Vodafone’s 5G DIG at Unbound London, the UK’s largest and most exciting innovation festival, and honoured to have been awarded the overall winner of Vodafone’s 5G Start-up Battle.

Supponor’s Managing Director, Ross Hair, took to the stage to deliver a three-minute pitch to a select panel of judges and a live studio audience on ‘Making Virtual Advertising A Reality’. He discussed how Supponor delivers live virtual advertising for leading sports clubs and leagues including LaLiga, Bungesliga, NFL and NBA, and explained how 5G will enhance the uptake of virtual advertising in live sport.

As part of Vodafone’s 5G DIG, Supponor participated in a showcase with 20 other innovative 5G-ready start-ups and was pre-selected as one of five companies from the 20 to participate in the live 5G Start-up Battle.

Winning the Vodafone 5G Start-up Battle sees Supponor have the opportunity to collaborate with Vodafone and travel to one of Unbounds international festivals.

You can view the full Vodafone 5G Start-up Battle, with Supponor’s pitch starting at 15-minutes, here:


How AR could boost Manchester United’s Commercial Power

Fans around the world watching Barcelona and Real Madrid games see different advertising hoardings thanks to Supponor’s tech

By Jonathan Symcox

COO Charlie Marshall

COO Charlie Marshall says,

“It increases the inventory a big club has to sell
An augmented reality tech firm is tailoring the advertising around the pitch during TV football broadcasts to individual markets.”

Supponor, based in London and Helsinki, Finland, superimposes virtual adverts on to the perimeter LED boards to serve local advertisers across the world. Its tech has been successfully deployed in Barcelona and Real Madrid away matches through its partner Mediapro as well as ice hockey’s NHL, American football’s NFL and Formula One.

It held a trial at a Premier League club throughout last season as well as every Bundesliga club as those leagues consider how to utilise the opportunity it offers.

Chief operating officer Charlie Marshall explained to BusinessCloud at the Soccerex convention in Manchester this week how the technology could benefit the big clubs.

“Take a big club like Manchester United. Their commercial strategy sees them doing increasing numbers of regional deals with local sponsorship brands,” he said.

“One of the first questions that sponsors ask a club like Manchester United is ‘can we be on the LED board? As our audience in Indonesia is watching the live game, can we have our brand inside Old Trafford?’

“The answer from the club is that they can’t because there is no more space on that LED system. There’s only 90 minutes in a game and they’re sold out. There’s no more inventory available.

“This system increases the amount of inventory and therefore the amount of selling that they can do.”

Listen to Soccerex podcast

The regions receiving unique feeds of the Spanish giants’ away games include South and Central America, Mexico, North America (US and Canada), China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong), Asia (with a focus on Indonesia), sub-Sahara and Africa, Middle East/North Africa, Europe (outside Spain) and two domestic feeds in Spain itself.

The AR tech allows the virtual adverts to respond in real time to changes in the light or weather conditions, player movements and other environmental factors.

There is also an opportunity around sports highlights, Marshall says.

“We’re seeing an increasing amount of commercialisation of highlights on social channels, which can be more personalised and distributed in a more dynamic way that on a live TV signal,” he continued.

“A product like this, where you can replace the signage at a key moment and offer different brands the opportunity to associate themselves with it, is a real monetisation opportunity.”


Sports tech in focus: Supponor

Ross Hair is the Managing Director of Supponor, a company that transforms real-world advertising space visible at live sports events into highly targeted, virtual brand messages. Using virtual reality technology, Supponor is able to hyper-localise sports advertising for fans watching the events on TV, and has aims to take the tech even further. Current leagues deploying the technology include top European football leagues (such as La Liga in Spain and the Bundesliga in Germany) and the NBA basketball league in the United States.

We spoke to Ross about how his background has helped open doors for Supponor, the challenges of growing the business and how the industry is changing…​

Tell us about your career trajectory.

I’ve had a twenty-five year career in broadcast media, covering children’s media, sport and entertainment TV, before transitioning in 2018 to sports technology, the sector in which Supponor sits. My media journey was through the worlds of both free and pay television, developing and distributing scheduled TV channels (across Europe and Asia in particular). This is a business which in recent years has of course been challenged by the big online streamers such as Netflix, Amazon and Google.

My work with Supponor combines my experience within the sport and video worlds (I spent seven years at ESPN, part of the Disney group). This is my first role within a technology-related business, but my experience in sport and in particular the relationships with governing federations, broadcasters, production companies and ad sales agencies have helped to promote how Supponor’s tech works and the collaborative partnerships we need in order to enable virtual advertising within live sports broadcasts.

How would you describe Supponor’s offering?

The driving idea behind Supponor is to allow sports fans to see more relevant advertising messages when watching their favourite teams play and to allow local or regional brands to associate themselves with top tier sport.

We’re the only business in this sector offering that full suite of virtual advertising tools in live broadcast. We are able to offer both the replacement of existing advertising (such as shown on the perimeter LED boards) or we can also place virtual advertising graphics in spaces around the field of play. The virtual advertising industry is still developing, but there’s no question that Supponor is leading the way!

How do you guard against disruption?

It’s actually us doing the disrupting, by augmenting the long-established means of broadcasting sport to create more value. In our world of live sports, there are long-held relationships between governing bodies, production companies, broadcasters and marketing agencies, all responsible for defining and handling valuable audio-visual and media rights (including major sponsorship deals). We are now part of that process, allowing new, incremental advertising opportunities to those already there. Our business welcomes new competition in virtual advertising to help establish the industry and embed the benefits of the virtual advertising in existing stakeholder thinking.

How has the company grown over time?

The company is actually 15 years old, although 10 of those years were spent in a laboratory! Our roots are in Finland, which is still where our research and development group is based. Our commercial relationships are based on a small group of high value, multi-year deals, such as with La Liga.

In Spain, our technology is now used in around 50 matches per year, involving top clubs such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona. We are also in our first season in the German Bundesliga and are currently covering the NBA basketball finals in the US which has taken our total annual event total above 100. So, following a long period of funding and technology development, we have a proven technology and a proven capability to work with the best sports leagues around the world.

Trust is incredibly important when integrating with valuable live broadcast events. Our work, as the pioneers in this space, has taken tenacity and resilience, but revenue growth is accelerating and we are obviously now looking to add more clients from different sports, as well as to test the technology in other live events.

Is the plan to expand outside of sports in future?

I think the technology certainly allows for that. Sport is a great attraction, given its capacity to garner big international audiences. In South America, they love to watch Barcelona play. In China, they love to watch the LA Lakers or the Bulls play basketball. Wherever those big international audiences exist, that’s interesting for advertisers, but there’s no reason why that can’t be replicated with, for example, music concerts or other major public events.

How did the company’s product develop?

It is in both the algorithms that drive the software and the people who operate the system that we have seen great advances. This has included handling different environmental conditions (such as handling bright sunshine or fog), to building an outstanding operational team focused on product excellence. Testing is a major piece of the client development process. We have had to prove to potential partners that we can create new value and not affect the functioning of the existing sport production. We now have thousands of hours of game-time experience. The greatest compliment we get is when we hear commentators mention that virtual advertising technology was used, but nobody noticed!

As Managing Director, what were the key challenges of scaling the business?

Sport is actually quite a conservative world. It does well given the valuable media, sponsorship and broadcast rights, but that has led to some reticence about jumping on new innovation. That being said, I think it’s becoming easier as the benefits of virtual advertising have emerged. Part of my role is to make sure that the virtual advertising industry continues to develop with us at the forefront. Supponor can achieve greater scale by developing remote hubs to manage many matches at the same time (rather than being at the match itself) and by extending the delivery to online (‘OTT’) platforms as well as to traditional TV clients. That’s next on our development path.

“In meeting these challenges, we have recently established our core values as ‘professionalism, trust, innovation, adaptability, and collaboration’. We’re focused on bringing these values to our commercial partnerships to meet any of the scaling needs.”

What lessons would you have liked to have known before you started out in your career?

I would tell my younger self that being focused on people and building great working relationships is as important as the business model, strategic discussion and making decisions! Developing  emotional intelligence to really understand what people are looking for is a vital skill in whatever sphere you operate in. So I’d always encourage people to be exceptional listeners, to refer back to what you have heard and to make sure that you fully understand a point of view. That doesn’t mean you agree, but in a partnership something may spark a completely different direction of travel – that’s the nature of collaboration. The aim is to create better ideas or solutions, which in turn may make bigger business opportunities.

Ross Hair, Managing Director

How broadcasters are revolutionising in-stadia ads

Ross Hair, managing director of Supponor explains how brands can target specific live audiences with clever use of tech.

LED perimeter systems have traditionally been installed to allow brands, sponsors and advertisers to create valuable associations with sports, clubs and leagues to promote their products and services to highly engaged audiences.

This began as local, in-stadium messages from local businesses to local people. However, increased global demand for live broadcast sports has vastly increased the attraction of TV-visible signage alongside the field of play as a platform for global brand reach.

Top-tier sports remain one of the few remaining live broadcast phenomena, making it hugely valuable for any brand looking to reach a large audience of passionate fans in real-time.

While this has generated millions of dollars for rights owners, it has sometimes reduced the relevance of the messaging, both to fans in the stadium and regional TV viewers. Until recently, in-stadia messages have necessarily been fairly generic in trying to appeal to a globally sold sponsorship. This is a potential negative for both the rights owner and brand promoter.

Instead, ‘virtual replacement technology’ is on the rise. Developed by companies such as Supponor, virtual overlays of existing advertising can be seamlessly integrated into the broadcast environment, carrying activation messages specific to the region and fans viewing them.

Global sponsors can change product references, or alter the language used, when being viewed in Asia as opposed to the USA.

They can reach a global TV audience but drill down to highly specific messages for individual regions or demographics. The same inventory can be sold to multiple regional sponsors to address their specific markets of interest.

And local regulatory compliance can be assured when advertising alcohol or gambling without affecting other regional regulatory rules.

Virtual replacement technology is not only about TV but can be integrated into OTT or video streaming platforms, such as new sports broadcast DAZN, Eleven Sports and Tencent

OTT provides a direct connection to a viewer, with data allowing increasing awareness and insight. This data provides the fuel to allow virtual, hyper-targeted messages directly onto the perimeter advertising boards of the games being watched online.

Using virtual replacement technology, an interactive message can be differentiated by viewer and delivered direct to their device, with clickable ‘calls to action’.

Equally, virtual replacement technology is not only about advertising. The same tools can also be used to overlay traditional in-stadium physical areas with more dynamic and varied content, such as live social media feeds or statistics from the game. Contextually relevant information can be brought directly to the fan, without taking them away from the action.

Virtual advertising also allows the in-stadium digital displays to be used for more event-based in-stadium fan engagement. If LED perimeter boards no longer have to showcase global brands 100% of the time, they can instead be used to allow fans to send social media messages of support, for game stats to be displayed in-stadium or for local services to be promoted specifically to those in the stadium.

Virtual replacement technology is picking up momentum, with many European football leagues and US sports federations including the NBA, NFL and NHL actively deploying virtual solutions. In Germany’s Bundesliga, it is used for all of Borussia Dortmund’s home games and many of its away games.

In Spain, La Liga deploys the technology for the away games of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

The FA and ITV have begun to use it for England internationals, while many Premier League and Championship clubs are investing in virtual-enabled systems ready for future exploitation.


Virtual Advertising poised for the Bundesliga: DFL gives green light after successful live test

Hamburg / London, 13 March 2018

The breakthrough in broadcast quality virtual advertising has finally been achieved: after a successful program of live testing, the German Football League (DFL) has approved the Supponor technology used by Lagardère Sports. This means a major hurdle for the regular use of virtual perimeter advertising in the Bundesliga has been overcome.

At the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg on 26 February 2018 at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, an additional world feed (worldwide outside the German-speaking area) was broadcasted live for the very first time in the international markets. The live test was the conclusion of a series of tests coordinated between the DFL/Sportcast, Supponor, Lagardère Sports and LED technology provider ADI.

Lagardère Sports has been working for a long time in close cooperation with the DFL and its exclusive strategic partnership with the leading virtual technology provider Supponor towards introducing virtual perimeter advertising in German professional football. Last spring, the technology was presented to the Bundesliga clubs at a joint roadshow by Lagardère Sports, Supponor, and ADI. At the match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg on 6 May 2017, ADI, Supponor and Lagardère Sports jointly implemented virtual advertising live for the first time at a Bundesliga match – but without feeding the TV signals to the public.

Supponor’s technology is fully integrated with the regular broadcast of a match using perimeter boards and optics technology. The result of this is that the advertising space is multiplied virtually, through the creation of broadcast standard virtual overlays of the physical perimeter boards. Whilst audiences in Germany will not experience any difference in the stadium or on screen, different brands can occupy the same space on the existing perimeter boards and advertise to different markets via the TV broadcast.

Charlie Marshall, COO of Supponor, explains:

“Following a successful process of collaboration and technology integration with the DFL and partners, we have now made audience-targeted perimeter advertising a reality in the German Bundesliga. Supponor has enjoyed working closely with the DFL, Sportcast and Lagardère Sports in Germany over the past 12 months and our technology has grown ever stronger with their support. It was of critical importance in choosing Lagardère Sports as our partner that they shared our vision to cooperate with all of the DFL clubs to maximize the opportunity for large-scale deployment of Supponor’s virtual technology to as many club partners as possible, regardless of their marketing affiliations. Everyone at Supponor is now looking forward to deploying our augmented reality technology to help drive the incremental value for our existing and new
Bundesliga partners that come from delivering audience-relevant, high-quality virtual LED advertising.”

“The virtual advertising breakthrough has supposedly been imminent for more than 15 years now. We are therefore delighted that we have been able to further develop the technology together with our strategic partners Supponor and ADI in order to ensure that it meets the very high-quality standards of the DFL. We would like to thank the DFL for their close and trusting collaboration, and of course, also thank our partner clubs who supported us during the test phase,” explains Philipp Hasenbein, managing director of Lagardère Sports Germany. “It makes us proud that we have once again been able to provide an innovation-driven impetus to the industry as part of this group. We are convinced that the use of virtual perimeter advertising will provide an enormous boost to the entire Bundesliga’s internationalisation efforts. As an international marketing agency, the technology enables us to create added value for both rights holders and sponsors. We support our partners in further shaping their positioning in their respective target markets and in reaching their customers with targeted and country-specific advertising.”

About Lagardère Sports Germany

The international sports rights agency Lagardère Sports has 18 offices across Germany and, as a pioneer and market driver in its sector, offers in-depth expertise, marketing rights and services to promote value-generating partnerships within sports marketing. While the agency’s core business is football, it is also active on other wide-reaching platforms in Germany in the fields of handball, winter sports, and motorsports. Lagardère Sports is part of Lagardère Sports and Entertainment, a global sports rights agency with over 1,700 employees worldwide.

More information can be found at www.lagardere-se.com, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lagarderesportsgermany/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/LSports_de) and on LinkedIn ((linkedin.com/company/lagardère-sports/).

About Supponor

Supponor pioneered and is the clear market leader in delivering virtual replacement technology of TV-visible signage for real-time broadcast and streaming of in-venue sports advertising. Our advanced technology delivers the most powerful and impactful brand activation in the broadcast sport by integrating powerful augmented reality overlays with traditional broadcast quality solutions. This dramatically enhances the value of media and marketing rights for mass-audience sporting events for sports rights holders and their brand sponsor and broadcast partners.

As a pure-play technology solutions provider, Supponor has over 15 years of experience in research, development, testing, integration and commercial deployment. Supponor has commercially deployed its virtual advertising replacement solutions at hundreds of live broadcast events across 10 major broadcast territories in co-operation with a broad range of market stakeholders in Football, Ice Hockey, F1, American Football, Basketball, and others Tier 1 Sports.

Supponor is based in London and Helsinki and is backed by leading VCs and institutional investors and is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.