UFC, 4D Sight Create Pilot Program to Integrate Virtual Sponsorship on Local Broadcasts

UFC and 4D Sight has created a pilot program to introduce new virtual ad tech aimed to localize broadcasts for viewers and sponsors.

This Saturday, August 20, during UFC 278: USMAN VS EDWARDS 2, UFC will implement 4D Sight’s technology to digitally insert sponsor branding on the canvas of the Octagon as seen on the UFC FIGHT PASS Spanish-language Latin America broadcast of the event. The initiative will be tested with Stake.com, the UFC’s Official Betting Partner in Latin America and Asia.

“UFC is a global brand that has become one of the most-sought–after marketing platforms in all of sports,” says Paul Asencio, UFC Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships. “4D Sight’s technology will now allow us to localize the brand exposure to meet the needs of our partners, while creating greater relevance and engagement locally with our viewers.”

Broadcasters and leagues looking for addressable solutions and hyper targeting specific regions during global broadcasts can utilize 4D Sight’s capabilities to virtually replace or create new branding at the local level. After supporting some of the largest esports leagues in the world, this will be the first time 4D Sight’s tech would be used in a major sports setting.

“Currently, there’s a lot of tech out there to try to shoehorn in brands that want their logo digitally blown up on screen during a big sports event,” says Erhan Ciris, Founder and CEO of 4D Sight. “The issue is, the quality control isn’t there with constant things like glitching and screen-tear when anyone on screen happens to be in the vicinity of a logo. What we’ve really done is create a way to improve the viewer experience, by presenting branding opportunities that are native but non-intrusive for the viewer.”

4D Sight’s cloud based, computer vision technology enables sports leagues and broadcasters to seamlessly display static and dynamic brand images inside the field of play, without limitations on specific camera angles or location of the placement. In the case of UFC, 4D Sight’s technology was uniquely built to handle virtual ads in a dynamic and fast-moving environment, opening up new and limitless opportunities for integrated partnerships at the local level.

“UFC tried and discovered we couldn’t use any of the traditional, mature technologies for digitally placing our partners’ logos in our broadcasts,” says Alon Cohen, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, UFC. “Those technologies are upstream and use sensors attached to cameras. For a variety of reasons, that wasn’t a workable solution for us. We needed a downstream solution – one that could place logos on the Octagon canvas using a broadcast-level solution. 4D Sight is the only platform that could provide that technology for us, and we’re proud to work with them to produce this first-of-its-kind deployment in IRL sport.”