Asia

Bayern takes on Supponor’s AIR tech with renewed deal

Technology solutions provider Supponor has extended its association with Bayern Munich, signing an exclusive partnership with the German Bundesliga football club to roll out the next generation of its virtual advertising solution at Allianz Arena.

The 2020-21 Bundesliga season saw Supponor’s hardware-based technology (DBRLive) deployed at selected Bayern home games.

Now Supponor’s pioneering software-based AIR solution, which is fully remotely operated with no personnel or specialist equipment required onsite at the Allianz Arena, will provide Bayern with an industrial grade broadcast platform able to deliver a wide variety of virtual advertising applications, which can create additional monetisation opportunities.

The Supponor AIR technology builds on DBRLive, widely adopted for over 10 years in top-tier live sporting events, and uses AI/Machine Learning to deploy virtual advertising on any surface, in any sport, and in any weather condition.

Andreas Jung, executive board member of Bayern Munich, said: “The popularity of the Bundesliga and other competitions such as the Champions League have given FC Bayern Munich a truly global fanbase, and our ability to reach and activate those fans in their individual markets with virtual advertising technology has become a crucial benefit to our commercial partners.” 

The Bayern deal comes after Supponor in September announced plans to double its global headcount and restructure its internal operations as it pursues rapid growth during the coming financial year.

The London- and Helsinki-based group said it would also put an increased focus on Germany and gave details of a boardroom shake-up. Supponor said it would increase staff levels by 100% to support the rapid increase in the number of events it is delivering and to support further expansion in Europe and dynamic growth in the Americas, Australia and Asia.

Commenting on the Bayern agreement, James Gambrell, CEO of Supponor, said: “We are excited to extend our successful partnership, which reflects the flexibility Supponor offers when it comes to league-wide deployments or single club partnerships, driven by tailormade technical and business models, always looking for the solutions that best suit our partners.”

Image: Piero Nigro on Unsplash