For nearly 20 years now, digital perimeter systems have ringfenced high-profile football matches, replacing the static boards that had been the staple of the sport for many decades.
Over that time, the use of the technology has only continued to grow, driven by the unarguable economics of vastly increased advertising revenues that these provided.
Digital perimeter has become ubiquitous with televised football and quickly spread into other sports – rugby, basketball, cricket, even netball; all come with an arc of camera-facing LED boards, providing an exceptional platform to promote brands to the thousands, millions or billions of fans watching the broadcast.
Much has changed over the last 20 years. Digiboards are taller, lighter, slimmer, brighter and higher resolution than ever before, generating evermore value for commercial partners.
Aston Villa’s digiBOARD has doubled in height and resolution over the last decade. 2015: 64cm tall and 10mm pixel pitch. 2025: 128cm tall and 6mm pixel pitch.
Evolution of a digiboard
Today’s generation of digiBOARDs have evolved massively from the systems of 20 years ago, meaning they are easier than ever to deploy in more locations. We look at some of that evolution below:
TALLER
multiple height options
TALLER
The first digiBOARD system we installed at West Ham’s Upton Park in 2007 was 64cm in height. We’ve just installed one nearly twice as tall (120cm) at Villa Park! Nowadays we offer multiple height options to suit the varying sightlines in different stadiums.
Thinner & Lighter
than previous generations
Thinner & Lighter
Modern systems are about half the depth and half the weight of previous generation. That makes them much easier to install and move (ask our installations team!)
Resolution
improved options
Resolution
Resolution has improved dramatically – our original digiBOARDS came with a 20mm pixel pitch; our latest come with 6mm. That meant that brands had 32 pixels of height to play with – that’s gone up to 200 now!
Picture Quality
for exceptional content
Resolution
digiBOARD is now available with black LEDs for greater contrast and exceptional colour representation – of huge importance to the brands investing significant sums for global exposure. Software improvements have made scrolling buttery smooth, while increased refresh rates have waved goodbye to strobing content on the superslomo replays.
Quick-Change Boards
hot-swappable panels
Quick-Change Boards
Our latest MT systems have smaller boards that can be swapped in and out in a matter of seconds – this makes servicing far easier and means that faults can be rectified immediately. We even have a number of clubs that carry out maintenance and matchday delivery themselves!
Live Venue Delivery
remote broadcast
Live Venue Delivery
We no longer need to send Operators to every stadium to manage content; the vast majority of our matchday playouts are managed and controlled over Live Venue directly from our galleries at ADI over dedicated fibre networks.
Boards for All
As the technology has matured, so the market has evolved, with LED perimeter becoming commonplace not only in the top echelons of sports, but in lower leagues.
Promoting Local Partnerships
ADI have been synonymous with this growth – we’ve helped Championship and League One clubs pioneer the technology to promote local and regional partnerships, creating new packaged revenue streams and attracting a far wider base of commercial partners to their clubs. Check out our interview with Swansea City’s Richard Morris for more information on what we call the “Business Club Model”.
Swansea City Bring Partnerships On Board
Owner-Operated Options
And we’ve democratised the technology through technological and software advances. Our latest generation of MTD digiBOARDs can be completely operated and maintained by club technicians whilst the latest iteration of our powerful bespoke digiSOFT operating software allows for clubs to manage content completely autonomously; obviously they still have the safety net of ADI’s technical team to support them should they ever have an issue!
Interested in bringing the latest digital perimeter technology to your stadium?
Whether you’re looking to enhance commercial opportunities, improve fan engagement, or streamline matchday operations, our team is here to help. Let’s talk about how digiBOARD can work for you – get in touch to start the conversation.
