During the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Croatia and the Czech Republic at the Opus Arena in Osijek, an advertisement for the insurance company Kooperativa appeared, not in the stadium, but in the broadcast for Czech viewers. This was made possible by Overlay technology (Virtual Board Replacement – VBR) supplied by TGI Sport.
Overlay technology works by superimposing a digital image onto real LED panels, which is then transmitted to viewers in individual markets. This means that players and fans in the stadium see completely different advertisements than those watching the match on screen. For Czech viewers, this was a natural part of the broadcast. However, this advertisement did not actually exist physically in the stadium.
Producing such a signal is neither simple nor cheap. UEFA rules require that production take place directly at the match venue – the signal from the stadium is transmitted from an OB van (broadcast vehicle) to a TGI unit, which then provides the modified signal to the relevant broadcaster, in this case Czech Television. The price for one such production can be in the tens of thousands of euros, so the return on investment depends on the strength of the market and the interest of advertisers.
Media value exceeded costs
"We evaluated the advertising according to strict rules – we only counted it if the Kooperativa logo was visible on the screen in its entirety for at least 5 seconds. We did not take short or partially visible shots into account. When these parameters were met, the price was recalculated as the value of a standard injection," explains Jindřich Skrip, Director of Marketing and Communications at Kooperativa.
Of the total advertising time ordered on LED panels, Kooperativa only achieved approximately 20%, which corresponds to the equivalent of 12 injections instead of 60. Nevertheless, the total advertising value of the campaign exceeded the costs incurred by Kooperativa. The result was helped not only by the stable viewership of the attractive match against Croatia (6 GRP), but also by the fact that Kooperativa's spot was longer and visually legible, unlike the rapidly changing ads of other advertisers.
Other uses: A new standard?
TGI's VBR technology has been used in international football since 2021, when it was first deployed during the European Championship qualifier between Switzerland and Italy. According to TGI Sport, the technology has already been used in more than 150 UEFA Nations League matches and qualifiers. In addition to football, TGI also provides global distribution of VBR for Formula 1, the NHL, La Liga, Serie A, selected Bundesliga and Premier League matches, and the Ice Hockey World Championship.
Although UEFA does not allow Overlay to be used in all matches and competitions, the technology is slowly becoming a production standard. Another opportunity for the Czech market could come as early as the national team's away match in Montenegro on 5 September.
Source: mediaguru.cz