Virtual advertising in the Bundesliga
28 January 2025 – By using virtual advertising in the Bundesliga, football clubs can offer their sponsors more customised advertising opportunities and thus also increase their own marketing revenue. The perimeter boards in the stadium are digitally superimposed on the live broadcast signal. Instead of one feed for the entire international market, up to five different feeds per Bundesliga match can be broadcast for the various target regions and different advertising partners – and messages can be transported for each region. Localised playout options are possible in the regions of North America, Central and South America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia/Australia/Oceania.
Tim Achberger, Director Technology & Product Management at Sportcast and Benedikt Scholz, Director Internationalisation & Commercial Partnerships at Borussia Dortmund report on the implementation of virtual advertising.
How does virtual advertising work technically?
Tim Achberger: For the realisation of virtual advertising, technologies are used that are able to overlay the areas of the LED strip that are not covered by moving objects with an alternative graphic. Once the software has learnt where the strip is located, it can replace the content individually. As the effort involved is very high, the technology is currently only used for camera 1, the lead camera, which covers around 70 per cent of the duration of the game.
Who is involved in the implementation?
Tim Achberger: The process starts with a club deciding to offer several international feeds and virtual perimeter advertising. For the corresponding cross-fading of the perimeter boards, we work together with service providers who specialise in virtual advertising and offer appropriate software solutions for cross-fading. As the host broadcaster of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, Sportcast coordinates the process between the clubs and their service providers on the one hand and the virtual advertising service providers and, if necessary, other technical service providers on the other. The aim is to ensure smooth interaction with the usual high quality in live broadcasting.
When did Borussia Dortmund start using virtual advertising?
Benedikt Scholz: We started in the 2018/19 season – immediately after the DFL approved this technology.
What were the reasons for its introduction at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK at the time?
Benedikt Scholz: “It was a logical step as part of our internationalisation strategy: our international visibility had increased significantly thanks to the two Bundesliga championships and the UEFA Champions League final, and virtual advertising was a further building block for communicating with the right target groups in international markets – in the right language and with the right messages.
I like to use the example of the beer industry here: the beer from our partner Brinkhoffs is not available on other continents. In previous years, however, we advertised Brinkhoffs worldwide on TV via the static band. Since the introduction of virtual advertising, we have differentiated and acquired a Chinese and a US beer partner for the respective international feeds.
Which systems are currently authorised and which are actually in use?
Tim Achberger: In the early days, virtual advertising was only possible in conjunction with additional hardware on the broadcast cameras – which is why it was referred to as a “hardware-based system”. Now, however, the focus is on the use of software-based technologies that can overlay any existing boards in a stadium – in some cases including the cam carpets next to the goal. There are currently several companies that have been authorised as service providers for the Bundesliga following intensive testing by the DFL and Sportcast in particular: TGI, Supponor (now part of TGI) and AIM. In the past season, around 150 matches were enhanced with virtual advertising, the majority of these matches using Supponor’s technology. A further increase in the number of games is expected for the current 2024/25 season.
How has the technology developed since its introduction at BVB?
Benedikt Scholz: When we started, the hardware-based solution was the most secure from a technological point of view, which is why it was the right decision to start with this somewhat more resource-intensive technology. In the meantime, we have switched to the software-based solution “TGI Sports Air” (formerly “Supponor Air”), which does not require dedicated perimeter board technology, camera set-ups or specific personnel in the stadium, but can be fully implemented from the central production site where the DFL produces the international broadcast signals for all Bundesliga matches. Technologically, the virtual advertising worked smoothly from day one, and we are very satisfied with the performance of our partner TGI.
How satisfied is Borussia Dortmund from a marketing perspective?
Benedikt Scholz: From a marketing perspective, we were also profitable right from the start. Our marketing partner Sportfive has worked intensively on the topic and together we have adapted our international network to the new opportunities. Virtual advertising is a very important building block in our commercial growth and our conclusion is correspondingly positive.
What is the decisive success factor in the technical realisation of virtual advertising?
Tim Achberger: The interaction of all the trades involved is essential in order to achieve the smoothest possible use in serial production. The intensive examination of the topic, both from a product and technical implementation perspective, is possible in this form thanks to the expertise of the DFL Group and guarantees the use of the technologies with high-quality signal production at the same time.
What expectations are there regarding the further development of virtual advertising?
Benedikt Scholz: The technology is fundamentally stable and can be extended to other advertising media. We now also offer virtual cam carpets and I see the main advantages of the software-based solution in its flexible use and scalability. However, the basis for this is the relevance of the Bundesliga and Borussia Dortmund in the international target markets, which we are working on intensively both on and off the pitch.
In addition to virtual overlays, there is a second way to show different advertising partners in the national and international TV signal on the LED boards. The
Parallel Ads technology from the provider TGI Sport works with the picture frequencies of the TV production. The TV cameras record different images of the LED boards in the BayArena at defined intervals. While stadium visitors and viewers on TV screens in the DACH region will not notice any change, the image of the LED boards can be adapted for international viewers using the new technology in the international broadcast signal. Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been using the technology in the BayArena since the 2023/24 season.