Cincinnati Reds Take Next Step in Brand Messaging With Holographic Wall at Great American Ball Park

Cincinnati Reds Take Next Step in Brand Messaging With Holographic Wall at Great American Ball ParkHolovisn, a company with expertise in immersive-display tech, worked with the MLB clubBy Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 7:00 am

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With the Cincinnati Reds fighting for their first playoff appearance in five years and their second postseason berth since 2013, it's an exciting time in the Queen City. The fun continues with the club's penultimate home game this evening at Great American Ball Park, and contributing to the excitement is a new holographic wall, a first in Major League Baseball, installed within the third-base concourse by immersive-display provider Holovisn.

We're always looking for some innovative things to put in the park and enhance fan engagement, says Brian Keys, SVP, technology, Cincinnati Reds. We kicked around different ideas and approached some of our sponsors that are into being creative, and Coca-Cola was ready to step up.

Brave Partners: Holovisn, Coca-Cola Jump Into the Deep EndMLB clubs are looking to create a fan-experience advantage to stand out from other ballparks. Nestled on the bank of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park and the Reds were looking to branch out. Digital signage has significantly improved over the years, and both professional organizations and collegiate programs are taking a risk with out-of-the-box thinking and new technologies. During the offseason, the Reds went looking for a partner willing to join them in this endeavor.

The Cincinnati Reds' holographic wall was installed on the third-base concourse at Great American Ball Park. (All photos: LinkedIn: Holovisn)

Determined to launch the holographic wall on Opening Day, the team initially went with another company, but, wanting to refine the display before showing it to the public, Keys and his team in April pivoted to Holovisn, which they had noticed at a trade show that year.

Known for work in leveraging 3D display systems and for expertise in AI-driven activations, Holovisn has partnerships in corporate business and advertising. These include work with Starbucks, USAA, and the global brand that connects the company to the Reds, Coca-Cola. With Coca-Cola executives looking to make a big splash at Great American Ball Park, the beverage manufacturer was fully on board as the first sponsor displayed on the holographic wall. Luckily, the Reds had some extra space in the venue to give the display maximum visibility and protection from the elements.

Helping create each holographic image are 32 fans and 12 minicomputers.

We looked all around the ballpark prior to [installation of the holographic wall], says Keys. The third-base concourse was the only [accessible] place that had scale, so it turned out to be the best spot.

After missing Opening Day, the club wanted to show off the new display after MLB All-Star in July. Unfortunately, further testing needed to be done, and it was not ready for its debut when the players returned from their midseason break. Given extra time by the Midsummer Classic in Atlanta and numerous road trips with the team away for a total of 13 days, Keys and the Holovisn staff put the finishing touches on the project.

When the team was away, says Keys, that's when we were testing everything and trying to get it going. It has been fun to learn, and we stress testing everything as much as we can.

Setup and Maintenance: Crew Keeps the Wall HummingAlthough the 30-ft.-tall by 15-ft.-wide holographic wall is something out of Back to the Future II, the technology behind this innovation is fairly easy to use after installation. As folks walk through the concourse, 32 fans move in unison to create the image. On the backend, 12 minicomputers are connected via fiber to fire all those fans. Holovisn's cloud-based software enables the Reds' live-events team to curate a playlist of elements - throughout the summer at Great American Ball Park, the team had a total of 16 videos in the playlist - that loop without interruption. If a new sponsor comes in or an existing sponsor has other assets to run, the crew can drag and drop the file into the playlist.

Sponsorship elements, like this one from Coca-Cola, are taking over the display.

On the technological side, the crew needs to ensure that each layer of this system is synchronized. The most challenging aspect, however, comes with many things that are beyond the crew's control. This includes environmental issues, such as severe winds or rain that finds its way into the concourse or pigeons that fly into the outdoor venue. The crew practices with plexiglass to protect both the fans and animals from potential damage, but the glass's vibrating and distorting the image or reflections and glares bouncing off the glass interfered with the desired look. Looking for a solution to the issue, the club turned to the netting that was implemented in all 30 MLB ballparks a handful of years ago.

We still get a very nice visual [even with the netting], Keys reports. The netting disappears when you're looking at the image.

Spots for Creativity: Club Looks To Add Starting Lineups, New ContentCoca-Cola and its in-venue sponsorship needs were the main catalyst for the project, but the Reds are keen on using the system for other purposes as well. Most activations will center on the players on the roster and on important elements central to game day at Great American Ball Park.

Creative content, including ones with team mascot Mr. Red and players like second baseman Matt McLain, is also being shown.

Our plan moving forward is to show players as the lineup is announced as well as live stats as the game goes on, says Keys. We're definitely going to get our game-presentation team involved with player a

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/09/24/cincinnati-reds-take-next-step-...
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