Sportradar AG, the global sports technology company, and aireal, the business transforming broadcast and digital audio into programmatically tradable media, announced a strategic partnership to elevate how brands advertise around sports content – at a time when relevance, context and timing matter more than ever.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching and advertisers competing in what has become the “relevance economy”, the partnership enables brands to use broadcast radio as a modern channel to reach sports fans with contextually aligned messaging placed into ad breaks close to key sports moments.
Aireal’s technology identifies when broadcast or digital audio programming features sports content by recognizing context like commentary, match previews and sports news. The technology makes FM, DAB+ and streaming audio inventories addressable based on context, unlocking highly targeted and sports-relevant advertising inventory for Sportradar’s demand- side platform to purchase on behalf of clients.
Sportradar adds “sports moments” signals such as goals, momentum changes and penalties allowing advertising into upcoming blocks through aireal’s sell-side platform and real-time insertion tech. Sportradar’s GenAI-enhanced creative intelligence generates audio scripts provided by team narratives, tournament dynamics or fan sentiment. This automation enables brands to align with emotional instances fans care about, without interrupting live broadcasts.
The agreement further boosts Sportradar’s advertising capabilities to engage sports fans on behalf of clients and builds on its end-to-end solution already featuring a proprietary demand-side platform, programmatic ads including digital out of home, display, video and audio such as podcasts. The company also offers paid social and paid search as acquisition tools and a range of retention products.
Ralf Ollig, Sportradar’s VP of Product Marketing and Advertising Services, said: “Audio is critical in any sports-focused advertising campaign as brands need scalable channels that keep them connected to sports moments throughout the day. We know that radio is a primary channel for match-day build-up, commentary, travel-time listening and fan gatherings and radio consumption surges during major sports cycles such as the FIFA World Cup, Euros, Bundesliga, winter sports and cycling. Our partnership with aireal turns broadcast radio into a digitally activated, programmatic channel and is the next evolution in our sporting moments approach to campaign planning and execution.”
Markus Adomeit, aireal MD, said: “We’re bringing automation and contextual intelligence to one of the most important media channels. Working with Sportradar allows advertisers to align their audio campaigns with sports programming and sports signals in a way that’s scalable and relevance driven.
“Broadcast radio remains one of the strongest mass-reach media channels worldwide. Radio has high trust levels and is repeatedly ranked as one of the most credible advertising channels, meaning this partnership enables advertisers to reach millions of listeners across international markets with unparalleled brand safety.”
