Sportradar Expands Audio Advertising with aireal Partnership

Sports data and technology company Sportradar has announced a new partnership with advertising technology provider aireal aimed at transforming broadcast radio into a data-driven, programmatic advertising channel powered by live sports moments, marking the latest evolution in the commercialisation of sports content and fan engagement.

The collaboration will integrate Sportradar’s real-time sports data and contextual signals into aireal’s sell-side audio advertising platform, enabling brands to deliver targeted messaging aligned with key in-game events such as goals, penalties and momentum shifts. The approach allows advertisers to automatically activate campaigns within radio advertising breaks based on live sporting developments, creating contextually relevant messaging designed to connect with fans during emotionally significant moments.

The companies say the partnership effectively digitises traditional broadcast radio, introducing automated campaign planning and execution capabilities typically associated with digital media channels. By combining sports data intelligence with automated audio advertising infrastructure, the solution allows marketers to align brand messaging with team narratives, tournament storylines and fan sentiment in real time without interrupting live sports coverage.

For Sportradar, the agreement represents a further expansion of its growing marketing services division and reinforces its strategy of leveraging proprietary sports data to unlock new advertising formats. The company has invested heavily in programmatic and data-driven marketing tools in recent years, including AI-powered audio advertising and multi-channel campaign services designed to help operators and brands engage audiences across digital, out-of-home and audio environments.

The partnership also reflects the continued relevance of radio as a mass-reach media channel within the sports ecosystem. Despite the rapid growth of digital platforms, broadcast radio retains strong global audiences and high levels of consumer trust, offering advertisers scalable reach and brand-safe environments. By introducing contextual automation and live data integration, the collaboration seeks to modernise the channel while preserving its traditional audience scale and credibility.

From an industry perspective, the initiative highlights the increasing convergence between live sports data, media distribution and advertising technology. As rights holders, broadcasters and technology providers seek to maximise the commercial value of live sports audiences, data-triggered advertising formats are becoming a key area of innovation, enabling more personalised and timely fan engagement across multiple platforms.

The agreement with aireal follows a series of strategic partnerships by Sportradar focused on embedding sports data into emerging advertising channels, including digital out-of-home and dynamic audio services. Together, these initiatives signal a broader shift towards automated, event-driven marketing models that align brand messaging with real-time sporting action.

As the sports industry continues to explore new monetisation opportunities around live content, the partnership positions broadcast radio as a newly digitised advertising environment, reinforcing the growing role of data, automation and contextual intelligence in shaping the future of sports marketing and media activation.