Football Stadium Advertising: How Different Channels Show Different Touchdown Ads!

Were you aware that football stadiums actually show different touchline ads for different channels or countries? 

Pretty mind-boggling, right?!

So, how do they do it? 

They incorporate a technology called virtual replacement perimeter technology. Using this sort of advanced technology, broadcasters can filter regional-specific ads over existing ads in the stadium. 

A Twitter user by the name of @UltraLinx observed this recently and explained how it works. He said that the camera is mounted atop a “virtual head” that reads the data for positioning and alignment. 

That camera’s lens is aligned with the camera body and sensor, as well as the software, so that the virtual software may be corrected for any offset off “zero” when the camera is installed.

He added- 

“Think of a virtual 3D box, and they just tell the computer where to put everything relative to the camera. Data is fed from the camera to a computer running the virtual software. After the calibration, the virtual operator will load in the graphics they have been given, created to whatever specifications. They then use various keys to mask out what they want and don’t want the virtual graphics to appear on.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTVVg0_Si8

 

The virtual replacement perimeter technology is also used to create virtual billboards, distance lines (for example, in horse racing), stat overlays, on-ground logos that can be seen in cricket matches, and pictures, as well as whole studios.

In fact, this is not the first time this technology is being used. In a 2018 warm-up Football game between England and Costa Rica at Elland Road in Leeds, The Football Association (FA) and ITV tested this new adtech.

The stadium’s peripheral advertisements were limited to the United Kingdom. During the show, however, Virtual Replacement Technology broadcasted newly enhanced and augmented regional advertising to the Americans on one stream and Asia, Australasia, and portions of Europe on another.

Tom Gracey, senior broadcast manager of The FA, said-

“The potential for Virtual Replacement Technology is substantial. Perimeter LED displays have become a fundamental platform for activating brand partnerships in sport.”

Technology has really revolutionized the way we see the world how the content of any form can be tailored to meet the entertainment needs of people across the world.