By Justin Pearse, Editor-in-Chief, New Digital Age
Justin Pearse, Editor-in-Chief, NDA, sat down with Nikolaus Beier, SVP Marketing Services, ad:s Sportradar to find out how the business has extended its data expertise from powering the global sports betting industry to helping brands and agencies engage with sports fans.
Sportradar’s core business remains sports data collection and distribution, with betting companies using its feeds to set odds and manage risk. But Beier said that the same data can be transformed into valuable tools for marketing.
“About seven years ago, we started to build our own marketing tech stack specifically for the sports betting industry,” he explained. “We realised that the ingredients we had, and the access we had, could also help brands engage fans in real time. The idea is to give our clients the opportunity to advertise in the right sports moment, with the right sports message, at the right time.”
This concept of “moments” is central to Sportradar’s offer. A goal, a momentum shift in basketball or a touchdown in American football can trigger a targeted change in ad creative. Beier describes this as a “basic layer” of data, but one that allows brands to align themselves with the emotions of live sport.
Beyond sports betting, new opportunities for all brands
While Sportradar’s heritage lies in betting, its marketing services now extend into media, streaming and fan engagement. Beier pointed out that live sport remains one of the few cultural events that brings large audiences together in real time, offering huge potential for advertisers.
“Sports is a huge topic in advertising,” he said. “Broadcasters know it’s one of the last things that can gather mass audiences. And beyond sponsorship, sports moments create real opportunities for brands to influence behaviour.”
Although rights restrictions sometimes favour brands already associated with sport, Sportradar is increasingly working with non-endemic advertisers who simply want to reach engaged audiences.
With the decline of third-party cookies and an increased focus on first-party data, Sportradar has responded with its Fan ID product, developed in partnership with clubs and rights holders.
“Every time a fan buys a ticket or a jersey, or registers for a newsletter, the club collects data,” Beier said. “Historically, many have struggled to use this efficiently. With Fan ID, they can share data with us in a GDPR-compliant way. We can then help them target existing fans and find lookalike audiences.”
This approach not only helps clubs and federations activate their fanbases but also gives brands new privacy-safe ways to reach highly relevant audiences.
Making omni-channel a reality
For Sportradar, the next frontier is ensuring that sports data powers campaigns across every channel. Its proprietary DSP is built to support all major programmatic channels, including video, display, audio and digital out-of-home (DOOH).
Beier pointed to the Champions League final in Munich as an example. A sportsbook, not an official sponsor, used Sportradar data to trigger DOOH creative based on the live score, updating messaging around the city in real time.
“It’s about using the game narrative,” Beier said. “Our data allows creative optimisation that makes ads feel part of the moment, rather than interrupting it.”
Sportradar is also investing in AI-driven insights that can inform creative messaging. Instead of simple score updates, ads can feature predictive insights or historical stats that resonate with fans.
“Arsenal playing Spurs might trigger a stat like ‘Arsenal have won the last five home games’,” said Beier. “It creates more than just an ad, it creates insight. That improves engagement rates significantly.”
Challenges and opportunities ahead
Like the rest of the adtech ecosystem, Sportradar faces challenges from regulatory changes and the dominance of major platforms. Beier acknowledges that cookie deprecation, even with delays, is reshaping the industry.
“Everything contextual and connected to first-party data will be more relevant,” he said. “That’s exactly where we’re playing, in the context of sport and the audiences around it.”
So far, Sportradar has worked directly with brands more than with agencies, but that is beginning to change.
“We definitely want to work more closely with agencies,” Beier admitted. “At the moment, our core customers are brands, but agencies see the value of what we’re offering. The challenge is that many are tied into existing tech partnerships, so we need to show them the unique benefits of our data.”
With over 200 brand clients globally, Sportradar’s Ads business is a core focus for the company’s future growth.
“Sport continues to grow, and so does its role in advertising,” said Beier. “Our job is to help brands connect with fans in ways that feel natural, timely and engaging. We’ve only just started.”
