London, 7 April 2022 – London, United Kingdom – Supponor, the world leading virtual advertising technology provider, SPORTFIVE, the global sports business agency, and Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund, have confirmed the first commercial deployment of Supponor AIR® in the German territory.
This key milestone took place over the weekend, during the Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig match. Supponor AIR® is now available also for the German market, as it is the only software-based virtual advertising solution which secured the league-wide approval, by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL).
Supponor AIR® can be used in any weather conditions regardless of the kick off time, being it day or night. The innovative solution is natively developed to be operated remotely, in addition to traditional on-site. It requires no physical integration with the live broadcast production and virtual system operations no longer take place at the venue, and instead can be delivered from a remote location which could be anywhere in the regardless of the contribution and distribution format (e.g., satellite, fibre, IP) as it can be deployed at any stadium without any specific requirements on LED board technology, LED assets or camera systems.
SPORTFIVE and Supponor have been partners since 2017 in Germany having collaborated to launch the first use of virtual advertising in the German Bundesliga in partnership with Borussia Dortmund. The innovative nature of this partnership is again highlighted by Borussia Dortmund’s adoption of Supponor AIR® in Germany – the first club to use the technology in the country.
Mario Lucan, Executive Director Product Management at SPORTFIVE Germany explains: “With the new Supponor AIR® technology, we are taking Virtual Advertising to the next level. It makes the use of Virtual Advertising even easier and more attractive for rightsholders and sponsors. Together with our partners Borussia Dortmund and Supponor, we are very pleased to be the first to offer computer-based Virtual Advertising in the Bundesliga.”
Massimo Magrì, Managing Director Europe at Supponor explains: “At Supponor we are extremely proud to have launched Supponor AIR®, arguably the most disruptive technology solution in the sports industry, on the German market together with our long-standing partner SPORTFIVE and top club Borussia Dortmund. Thanks to the league-wide approval by the DFL, Supponor AIR® is now available to all Bundesliga clubs in all conditions, including weather conditions and kick-off times. Because of its operational efficiencies and subsequent cost savings, Supponor AIR® is accessible to any club on the market.”
About Supponor
Supponor has been the clear market leader in the virtual advertising industry for the past decade, proven in live broadcast environments in over 1,500 top-tier sports events worldwide. Supponor AIR®, arguably the most disruptive technology platform in the sports industry launched in 2021, is a fully software-based technology platform that relies on leading-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) approaches to deliver authentic virtual placement or replacement advertising on any surface, in any sport, at any venue, and in any weather condition. Supponor AIR® has set the new industry standard in operational quality, reliability, and flexibility.
Supponor’s virtual advertising solutions have been trusted by rights holders in top-tier sports leagues across football (UEFA, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and the A-League), hockey (NHL), basketball (NBA) and a host of other top sports. Supponor is headquartered in London and has its R&D base in Helsinki, with regional offices in Barcelona, Milan, Cologne, New York, Toronto, and Sydney, and is supported by leading VCs and institutional investors.
Additional information: www.supponor.com
About SPORTFIVE:
SPORTFIVE is one of the leading sports business agencies with more than 1,000 employees worldwide. As the overall marketing partner of 17 professional football clubs in Germany and the partner of more than 70 European football clubs, we are the market leader in Europe. In addition to football, many other sports, such as handball, basketball, and winter sports, as well as golf, American football, Formula 1 and Esports are part of our portfolio. Within sports, we create emotional communication platforms for brands through authentic, individual partnerships. It is our mission to be the most progressive agency in the sports business and actively be involved in shaping the future of sports marketing.
Our range of services includes everything that has to do with sports marketing and ranges from consulting, virtual perimeter and stadium advertising, jersey sponsoring, international media rights and athlete marketing, to hospitality programmes, travel services and incentives, right up to digital solutions, such as apps, product innovations and creative sponsoring campaigns and activations. With this, we serve the entire value chain in sports marketing individually, based on the customer objective. You can find further information on the website and on the corporate LinkedIn channel of SPORTFIVE
