Supponor and Telstra Broadcast Services announce joint offering to bring virtual advertising to the sports world

London, United Kingdom - 14 April 2023 - Supponor, the world’s leading technology provider in virtual advertising, and Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS), a leading provider of end-to-end broadcast and media related services, today announced a joint initiative to bring virtual advertising as-a-service to sports properties, federations and rights owners worldwide. 

As a result of the recent successful launch of their league-wide solution for the National Hockey League (NHL), Supponor and TBS are expanding their collaboration to make virtual advertising services more accessible to other international sports leagues in APAC, EMEA and the Americas.

The collaboration enables rights owners and their partners to effectively target global audiences with new and innovative technologies, such as customized virtual signage powered by the Supponor AIR® technology. These technologies can now seamlessly integrate within the existing broadcast infrastructure required to reliably and resiliently produce and distribute live top tier sports events.

Supponor’s long term partnership with the NHL has seen its Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards (DED) system integrated into the live broadcast feed to enable the real-time digital replacement of camera-visible arena advertising boards and placement of dynamic on-ice assets. DED graphics can be displayed during games in a market-specific way, wherever and however the game feed is broadcast, resulting in high-impact and targeted branding and promotional messaging, not previously achievable. 

Telstra, which supports the delivery of NHL content through its Broadcast Operations Centers in Pittsburgh, Sydney and London, also provides the connectivity required to control and deliver this powerful advertising technology. The Telstra Global Media Network (GMN), which underpins the distribution of the League’s multiple feeds from every game to different markets.  

Supponor CEO, James B. Gambrell, said, "The extension of our partnership with Telstra to bring virtual advertising to more rights owners, their partners and fans worldwide is just part of our continuing strategy of working with global partners. Together we hope to change the way properties and broadcasters interact with global brands in any sport where virtual advertising can form an integral part of the fabric of live sports production and distribution. Having already covered over 1,000 games for the NHL this season, and nearly 1,500 events in other sports from soccer to rugby, we have proven the quality, scalability and agility of our innovation. That, combined with the expertise of partners like Telstra, enables rights owners to potentially generate substantial incremental commercial returns and allows advertisers to connect with audiences in a new and meaningful way.”

TBS CEO, Andreas Eriksson, said, "We're thrilled to be partnering with Supponor to bring virtual advertising to a wider audience. The success we've seen with the NHL, its teams, partners and audiences demonstrates the potential of this technology, and we're excited to explore its possibilities in other sports around the world.”

Both Supponor and Telstra (stand W3609) will be at the NAB Show 2023, from April 15-19 in Las Vegas, where you can learn more about this partnership. Get in touch to schedule a meeting.

About Supponor

Supponor has been the market leader in the virtual advertising industry for the past decade, proven in live broadcast environments in thousands of top-tier sports events worldwide. Supponor AIR®, launched in 2021, is a fully software-based technology platform that relies on leading-edge computer vision approaches, underpinned by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to deliver authentic virtual placement or replacement advertising live, on any surface, in any sport, at any venue, and in any weather condition. Supponor’s virtual advertising solutions have been trusted by rights holders in top-tier sports leagues across football, hockey, basketball, rugby, cricket and a host of other top sports. Supponor is headquartered in London and has its core R&D base in Helsinki, with regional offices in Barcelona, Milan, Cologne, New York, Toronto, and Sydney. 

About Telstra

Telstra is a leading telecommunications and technology company. We offer a full range of services and compete in all telecommunications markets in Australia, operating the largest mobile and Wi-Fi networks. Globally, we provide end-to-end solutions including managed media networks, managed network services, global connectivity, cloud, voice, colocation, conferencing and satellite solutions. We have licenses in Asia, Europe and the United States and offer access to more than 2,000 points of presence across the globe.