Supponor and Cinevideogroup announce pan-European operational partnership
Helsinki, Finland and London, UK – October 27, 2009 – Supponor Ltd, a specialist in digital billboard replacement solutions, today announced a pan-European operational agreement with Europe’s leading outside broadcast specialist Cinevideogroup, a part of Euro Media Group. The announcement follows the commercial release of Supponor DBRLive Indoor, which is optimised for multi-market broadcasts of indoor sports events such as basketball, tennis, handball and volleyball matches.
With the DBRLive Indoor, the content of physical in-stadium billboards can be changed in live sports broadcasts to create multiple different feeds, allowing advertisers to target specific markets and tailor their messages for maximum impact. The new-generation system was recently showcased at Sportel Monaco, the annual gathering of the sports television and content industry.
The agreement with Cinevideogroup will include the management of production and operational aspects of the DBRLive at sporting events. In addition to the DBRLive Indoor, the partnership is planned to incorporate the outdoor version of the product, which is currently in final stages of development and scheduled to be commercially released at the end of 2009.
“Cinevideogroup is pleased to partner with Supponor and its revolutionary technology,” said Rob Rademakers, General Manager at Cinevideogroup. “We are confident that Supponor’s technology will be a solid and reliable solution for sports advertising.”
The DBR Live Indoor allows sports rights holders to deliver significant new value to advertisers and increase the value of their events. For global brands, the DBRLive enables tailored messages for specific markets, while regional brands may now be offered an opportunity to utilise globally interesting sports events that were previously out of their reach.
“Highly professional management of the production and operation at sporting events is a key component of the value DBRLive creates for advertisers and sports rights holders,” said Chris Buckley, CEO of Supponor. “It was essential that we identified a partner with the expertise to fully utilise the digital billboard replacement technology which we believe will change the face of sports advertising. Cinevideogroup has the expertise and experience to support the growth of our business.”
Supponor’s patented technology locates the position of the existing billboards in real time which allows for smooth and exact placing of digital content in live broadcasts, regardless of rapid camera movements or players and officials moving in front of the billboards. Uniquely, the DBRLive Indoor is not restricted by the content, pattern or colour of the existing billboards. The result is a natural-looking billboard that is relevant to both in-stadium audience and broadcast viewers in different markets.
First introduced to the market in August 2008, the beta version of DBRLive has been further developed and tested in a wide range of events and circumstances. The recently released DBRLive Indoor is Supponor’s first commercially available product, with DBRLive Outdoor scheduled to follow in 2010.
About Supponor
Supponor Ltd. is a specialist in digital billboard replacement solutions. Supponor’s flagship product DBRLive allows existing in-stadium perimeter billboards to be replaced digitally in live broadcast, enabling targeted in-event advertising and increasing the value of sports and broadcast rights. With DBRLive, global brands can tailor their message for specific markets, and regional brands get to utilise globally interesting sports events that were previously out of their reach. DBRLive is not restricted by the content or colour of the existing billboards, allowing relevant messages to appear to both in-stadium audience and broadcast viewers. The first commercial version of the patented software technology, DBRLive Indoor, was released in October 2009. Based in Finland with offices in the UK, Supponor is owned by management, private investors, Northzone Ventures and Conor Venture Partners. For further information, please visit www.supponor.com.