February 5 – Tonight’s friendly between Brazil and England, part of the FA’s 150 year celebration, is the first match under a new deal between Pitch International and the Brazilian football federation (CBF) under which the London-based sports rights agency has all commercial and marketing rights for Brazil’s friendly games for the next 10 years.
Brazil’s next game will be against Russia at Stamford Bridge on 25 March as Scolari’s team prepare for the Confederations Cup in 2013 and World Cup in 2014.
Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee to host the game but will retain the ticket revenue as Pitch International begins to recoup an outlay estimated by Brazilian media reports to be in the region of $1 million a match.
Tonight’s fixture also sees the first fruits of a deal announced 14 January between Pitch and Supponor, the billboard replacement technology company.
The DBRLive system sees stadium billboards being marked with a special film that absorbs a certain frequency of near infrared light which is invisible to the naked eye. Optics attached to the broadcast camera instantly recognise the billboards and integrate replacement billboards into the live feed.
Whilst viewers in the UK and in the stadium will see standard LED advertising boards, audiences in Brazil and in other international markets will see separate virtual feeds containing specifically targeted ads for their market.
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