Supponor, the market leader in the virtual advertising industry for over a decade, is proud to announce its remarkable achievement of exceeding its targets by doubling the deployment of its award-winning AI-based virtual advertising platform, Supponor AIR. The company successfully extended its reach beyond the 1,000+ events delivered in the previous 2021-22 season. In an impressive feat, Supponor’s technology was implemented in close to 3,000 live sports events across every continent, encompassing a wide variety of sports ranging from football to hockey to motorsport during the highly anticipated 2022-23 season.
Notably, Supponor solidified its position in the virtual advertising landscape by forging new partnerships and securing agreements with diverse sporting federations and organizations. One such remarkable collaboration was with the National Hockey League (NHL), the premier North American professional hockey league. The NHL entered into a multi-year agreement with Supponor to develop its ground-breaking Digitally Enhanced Dasherboard (DED) technology solution. This innovation enabled the real-time digital replacement of camera-visible arena dasherboards within live local, national, and international NHL game broadcasts. Deployed across all 32 clubs and arenas, the award-winning technology supported over 2,500 distinct live broadcast integrations across more than 1,400 games. For the first time, market-specific, targeted advertising and promotional messaging became a reality, marking a significant step in Supponor’s growth in the ice hockey world. This accomplishment builds upon Supponor’s ongoing partnerships with 3ICE and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The adoption of Supponor AIR in football also continued to gain momentum. Leading federations, including the Football Association (FA) in the UK, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the German Football Association (DFB), the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), and the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), embraced the virtual advertising technology during key international match broadcasts. Furthermore, Supponor’s technology was adopted by several elite football leagues and clubs across Europe, including the Bundesliga (Germany), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Ligue 1 (France), and the A-Leagues (Australia), demonstrating the widespread recognition and trust in Supponor’s capabilities on a pan-European level.
In the past year, Supponor expanded its dominance in virtual advertising to several new sports. These include basketball, cricket, rugby, motorsports, baseball, and handball. Notably, the European Handball Federation (EHF) partnered with Supponor to implement virtual advertising at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022 tournament held in Slovenia. This marked the first-ever virtual advertising deployment in handball and the first use of Supponor’s technology at a women’s sports event, showcasing Supponor’s commitment to advancing virtual advertising across various sports.
Supponor’s achievements in expanding its business and technological advancements were accompanied by strategic senior appointments. The company strengthened its team with key hires, including Simon Green as Chief Operating Officer, Jarod Were as VP Strategic Development, and most recently, Rusty Lawrence as Business Development Executive. These additions further bolstered Supponor’s capabilities and expertise in driving innovation and growth.
In line with its ambitious drive for technological innovation and market expansion, Supponor opened a new state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facility in France. The facility focuses on conducting short-term and long-term research into computer vision AI and natural scene rendering. This investment reflects Supponor’s commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the virtual advertising industry.
James B. Gambrell, CEO of Supponor, expressed his excitement about the company’s achievements and future prospects. He emphasized the outstanding year Supponor had experienced, surpassing live event deployment goals, solidifying existing partnerships, establishing new customer relationships, and advancing AI-based technologies to unlock new marketing opportunities for sports rights holders. Gambrell further emphasized that Supponor’s success in the past year would serve as a springboard for even greater achievements in the upcoming season, as the company remains committed to pushing boundaries and delivering unparalleled virtual advertising solutions.
