Finnish firm aims to change game for sporting ads
Enlarge imageBy Brett Young
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Next season advertisements at football stadiums may depend on where you watch the game -- viewers in China could catch an ad for a Beijing car dealership superimposed on Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground.
Finnish software startup Supponor said on Tuesday it had won a new round of financing for technology that could open new avenues like these in the $25 billion (13.6 billion pounds) sports advertising market.
Supponor said its digital billboard replacement (DBR) software calculates the position of billboards at sporting events, allowing advertisers to superimpose their own digital content tailored to viewers in different markets.
"We are negotiating with some selected major leagues in Europe," Chief Executive Juha Ruohonen said. "With the U.S. market, we are looking at (entering in) 2010 in practice."
Supponor said the combined value of TV rights and sponsorships at major sporting events amounts to more than $25 billion a year with a total addressable market for its DBRLive estimated around $1 billion.
Ruohonen said the technology could help advertisers better tap the strong following of European football clubs in Asia, or allow sports teams to sell advertising at away games in addition to the traditional home game matches.
He said the firm’s .....continued below
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software was in the final testing stages, and had been used on a pilot basis for small-scale sports events in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Supponor aims to have it ready for autumn 2009 when many major sports leagues start play.Ruohonen noted the business of traditional sports advertising needed to change, as companies with an on-site presence in events would now have a reduced viewership given the array of digital alternatives.
"You have to change the logic of the industry," he said.
The firm said it had won six million euros (4.78 million pounds) in funding, primarily from Nordic Northzone Ventures and Finland’s Conor Venture Partners.
(Reporting by Brett Young; editing by Sophie Walker)
By Brett Young
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Next season advertisements at football stadiums may depend on where you watch the game -- viewers in China could catch an ad for a Beijing car dealership superimposed on Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground.
Finnish software startup Supponor said on Tuesday it had won a new round of financing for technology that could open new avenues like these in the $25 billion (13.6 billion pounds) sports advertising market.
Supponor said its digital billboard replacement (DBR) software calculates the position of billboards at sporting events, allowing advertisers to superimpose their own digital content tailored to viewers in different markets.
"We are negotiating with some selected major leagues in Europe," Chief Executive Juha Ruohonen said. "With the U.S. market, we are looking at (entering in) 2010 in practice."
Supponor said the combined value of TV rights and sponsorships at major sporting events amounts to more than $25 billion a year with a total addressable market for its DBRLive estimated around $1 billion.
Ruohonen said the technology could help advertisers better tap the strong following of European football clubs in Asia, or allow sports teams to sell advertising at away games in addition to the traditional home game matches.
He said the firm’s software was in the final testing stages, and had been used on a pilot basis for small-scale sports events in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Supponor aims to have it ready for autumn 2009 when many major sports leagues start play.
Ruohonen noted the business of traditional sports advertising needed to change, as companies with an on-site presence in events would now have a reduced viewership given the array of digital alternatives.
"You have to change the logic of the industry," he said.
The firm said it had won six million euros (4.78 million pounds) in funding, primarily from Nordic Northzone Ventures and Finland’s Conor Venture Partners.
(Reporting by Brett Young; editing by Sophie Walker)
© 2008 Reuters Click for restrictions
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