First non-intrusive virtual advertising solution introduced in Copenhagen
Watching sport live is an experience unlike any other. However, the majority of fans engrossed in large, global tournaments such as the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will be consuming games through broadcast.
Up until now, sponsors have found it difficult to specifically target stadium advertisements to a geographical market. Providing tailored messages to specific markets and languages is a constant aim for any brand.
Infront and Vizrt - the world leader in real-time 3D graphics and sports analysis tools - joined forces to bring a non-intrusive virtual advertising solution to the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship for the first time, helping extend the investment made by sponsors to reach a relevant audience.
Localised brands for a global tournament
This technological evolution will help our partners provide a more relevant and impactful message to their TV audience. Bruno Marty Head of Winter Sports at Infront
-- Four rink boards of four metres each at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen have been virtually overlaid using this innovative, machine-learning driven solution. They have been deployed on the corner boards as well as the straight boards behind the goals during the tournament. To spectators in-venue, they will be IIHF adverts.
However, to fans watching on TV in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus they will see a completely different sponsor message from the venue in Copenhagen.
By overlaying rink-side advertising boards, virtual advertising allows brands to regionally market messages on a global level and opens up a world of possibilities for tournaments going forward, delivering new value to sponsors.
"This is a new way for brands and sponsors to purposefully target their audience and this has only been done in a limited fashion until now," said Bruno Marty, Head of Winter Sports at Infront. "Fans are used to seeing a more customised message through many advertising solutions. Now we can deliver this through the global broadcast with market specific in-game advertising. In short, this technological evolution will help our partners provide a more relevant and impactful message to their TV audience."
Once the tournament is over, Infront will assess and evaluate all aspects of the project, including the technique, cost and the opinions of all stakeholders. A decision on whether to carry it forward to future IIHF events will then be made.
It is important for us to support innovative initiatives such as virtual advertising at this edition of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, said IIHF President Ren Fasel. Many events fall into a pattern of accepting the status quo and not pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It is incredibly beneficial to have a like-minded partner such as Infront who understand how to develop and implement new technology to further develop marketing opportunities for ice hockey. It is important for our future to see these new technical developments in our sport.
The only non-intrusive solutionThe system works by taking the normal broadcast signal from the television production truck, running it through a computer which then overlays the relevant boards.
That signal is sent to the local broadcaster that, in turn, delivers the live picture to the audience.
Importantly, this approach differs from other similar technology solutions available for virtual overlay by not interfering with either the standard TV production or the in-venue operations resulting in a smooth broadcast integration and a flexible system setup. This system is used in an effort to provide minimal impact on both cameras and boards.
Only the beginningThis innovation - which will only be implemented at the venue in Copenhagen, not Herning - is a leap forward for sport as a whole when it comes to virtual overlay.
Infront and Vizrt are together introducing to the market the next generation in virtual overlay solutions, known as Viz Eclipse. Viz Eclipse, the first software and image-based virtual overlay solution, works with both static and LED boards from all manufacturers and supports broadcast centres or direct stadium implementation.
The partnership between Infront and Vizrt unites two market leaders with unmatched expertise in the global sports community. Fully committed, the team offers many decades of experience in sports marketing, media production, digital solutions and events delivery.
Targeted solutions for sponsors across a range of markets. The time for virtual advertising is now.
About InfrontInfront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from over 40 offices across more than 13 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.
Related articles
Vizrt and Infront release Viz Eclipse, the worlds first non-intrusive virtual overlay solution, at European football club
Related articles
Vizrt and Infront release Viz Eclipse, the worlds first non-intrusive virtual overlay solution, at European football club
About Vizrt Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics, studio automation, sports analysis and asset management tools for the media and entertainment industry. This includes interactive and virtual solutions, animations, maps, weather, video editing, compositing, and playout tools. Vizrt has customers in more than 100 countries worldwide including CNN, CBS, Fox, BBC, BSkyB, Al Jazeera, NDR, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
23/10/2025
A deadline is looming for a new carriage deal between Verizon's Fios TV and Nexstar, with both Verizon and the pay TV-backed American Television Alliance bl...
23/10/2025
NEW YORK During a high-profile session at NAB Show New York, new survey data was shared that revealed significant public concern over artificial intelligence (A...
23/10/2025
BELLEVUE, Wash. and NEW YORK Fox Weather has tapped T-Mobile has as its preferred communications provider and announced that all Fox Weather reporters are being...
23/10/2025
PBS and Amazon Web Services have announced the network is using generative AI to provide enhanced search results to viewers on the PBS App and PBS LearningMedia...
23/10/2025
Series three of the award winning, hit comedy entertainment series The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In is back on your screens, celebrating the very best of all t...
23/10/2025
Performances by Michael Flatley, Andy Irvine, Cuckoo's Nest, Foster and Allen and more
Friday 24 October, 8pm on RT One and RT Player
Fleadh Cheoil re...
23/10/2025
The nights grow longer and the shadows get bolder with Vampire The Masquerade: B...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
First non-intrusive virtual advertising solution introduced in Copenhagen
