A look back at the 2021 Supercup “innovation match”

02 September 2021 – Together with its subsidiaries, partners and service providers, the DFL set new standards in live football reporting for the 2021 Supercup. The clash between DFB-Pokal winner Borussia Dortmund and Bundesliga Champion FC Bayern München at the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK in Dortmund was broadcast live using a total of 37 cameras. The following applications are just some of the factors that made this a true “innovation match”:

• The match was shown to a group of test persons as an augmented-reality projection in order to find out more about the potential media usage of the future.
• The Interactive Feed offered users the opportunity to call up live data and replays of scenes from the match themselves with a simple click
• A vertical video production with nine cameras ensured that the match could be streamed live in 9:16 format, including on media partners’ TikTok profiles
• The Tactical Feed helped viewers to analyse the match, showing all 20 outfield players throughout along with relevant information and graphics
• A mini drone deployed for the first time took TV viewers on a brief flight through SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, including through the teams’ dressing rooms
• Three special cameras further upgraded the already sophisticated “Top Match +” production: rail cam, star cam and “cinematic-look” cam

The video above conveys an impression of the scope, complexity and innovative power of the media production that night.

The DFL is planning further innovation matches for May 2022: The application of the latest trends and technologies will be demonstrated within the framework of live football matches once again at the SportsInnovation trade fair in Düsseldorf. Anybody wishing to attend will find all relevant information on the SportsInnovation2022 website in the near future.

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