Virtual Insertion Technology
SMT’s Virtual Fans and Brands (V-FAB) solution infuses broadcasts with the high energy of virtual fans in the stands, while empowering sponsors and advertisers with in-game virtual advertising solutions that can be tailored to viewers' regions.
Since pioneering the Emmy-winning virtual systems for football (1st & Ten) and baseball (K-Zone), SMT's expanded virtual technology now includes virtual audiences as well as advertising and sponsorship insertions, all in real-time on live TV.
Since 2003, SMT has offered clients the opportunity to sell ad space in uniquely flexible spaces such as fields of play, tennis courts, backboards behind batters, hockey rink glass, LED ribbon boards, buildings, as virtual billboards and virtual sets, and more.
Clients such as MLB take full advantage of SMT’s technology with zoned virtual ads that rotate with the change of each batter. Our hockey clients have used our technology to display five ads at once, in various locations around the rink. Ads can be targeted on a per-market basis for local, national and international broadcasts and are excellent options for companies to build global brand awareness.
With SMT V-FAB, the possibilities are endless.
Virtual Insertion Examples
Situation Analysis of SMT's Virtual Insertion Technology
Statement of the Situation
With fans around the world hungry for live sports, leagues and broadcasters are searching for ways to keep audiences engaged while helping sponsors and advertisers deliver messaging to sports fans and consumers in the COVID-19 era.
Statement of the Problem
Live sports are expected to resume with extremely high viewership across a wide demographic, initially with fans watching on TVs and other devices as opposed to cheering from the stands. The ESPN Coronavirus Lockdown Fan Study, conducted April 17-20, reported that 65 percent of respondents were in favor of sports returning even if fans can't be in attendance, with 88 percent of avid sports fans planning to watch as much sports as possible. Leagues and broadcasters will need to explore solutions that will generate a level of excitement for at-home fans while enabling sponsors and advertisers to reach consumers in new ways that don’t rely on the old paradigm of limited commercial slots.
Statement of the Solution
Without missing a beat, SMT has shifted its research and development toward innovative ways to achieve these goals on behalf of its clients. SMT V-FAB will give fans the familiar comfort of cheering fans in the stands, with virtual opportunities ranging from team logos to sponsored billboards to animated on-field graphics and more.