The Infront Sports & Media agency is to collaborate with Vizrt, a company that provides content production, management and distribution tools to the digital media industry, to launch a new virtual overlay solution.
Based on Vizrt’s Viz Eclipse product, the solution will be exclusively distributed by Infront to enable rights holders to regionally tailor and streamline marketing and commercialisation of sports events around the world.
Viz Eclipse is a virtual technology that enables pitchside advertising boards to be virtually overlaid with unobtrusive, region-specific advertising into television feeds of sports events.
The solution does not require any physical camera or board installations on-site and can work with both static and LED boards.
Viz Eclipse has already been tested during club and national team football games and is soon due to undergo live testing. The new solution will have a primary focus on football before being expanded to other sports. Infront and Vizrt expect market entry throughout the 2016-17 season.
Philippe Blatter, president and chief executive of Infront, said: “We have been monitoring the development of virtual overlay technology for many years to ensure we can provide our clients with an effective solution, once technological progress meets their high quality standards.
“Jointly with Vizrt, we will soon bring a perfected and fully reliable solution to the market, which will allow rights holders to monetise their events on a global basis. Viz Eclipse will open up a new era of sports advertising.”
Martin Burkhalter, chief executive of Vizrt, added: “Our technology is now ready for the next level and we are convinced that it will transform the marketing capabilities of modern sport. While the initial focus will be on pitch-side advertising in football, this technology has the potential to revolutionise the marketing of many sports disciplines in the long run.”