Japan uses LED basketball court - animated effects displayed on the floor after scoring
In the United States, a basketball court always features waxed high-gloss floors with the correct lines and markings painted on. However, in Japan, a second-tier league has begun using a high-tech LED basketball court, replacing the traditional floor with a site made up of LED screens. This type of basketball court has already appeared at the National Yoyogi Stadium.
At first glance, this basketball court appears to have a standard wood floor, but if you look closely, you will find that the entire floor is assembled from LED panels. The wood planks are actually just graphics displayed by the LEDs. With the screens placed on the ground, the things they can do are quite impressive. For example, tracking lines can be used to follow players; when a player attempts a 2-point or 3-point shot, the markings on the floor can change, and after a basket is scored, the floor can display some very cool animated effects, among other things.
It is not only basketball — the current boom in the football market has given rise to more cooperation between LED companies and football.
Previously, LED manufacturer Aoto Electronics announced a cooperation agreement with China Fordbao Company, to cooperate with the Chinese Super League and the Chinese national team through LED electronic boards and LED lights. At Chinese football stadiums, Aoto and Ledman jointly provide LED advertising screens and night match lights for Chinese event organizers. What are the prospects for LED-football industry cooperation?
Ledman signs 5-year cooperation agreement with the Chinese Super League
The history between Chinese football and LED screens dates back to 2011. At that time, the Chinese Football Association intended to use LED displays to replace the previous fixed advertising boards, which would be more conducive to enhancing commercial value and promotional impact. Afterwards, Ledman Co., Ltd. became the official partner of the Chinese Super League and its sole LED screen supplier.
At that time, Ledman signed a 5-year cooperation agreement with the Chinese Super League Co., Ltd., exchanging the provision of LED display equipment for 12 minutes of advertising display time per match. From 2013 to 2014, as the official partner of the Chinese Super League, Ledman Co., Ltd. retained 2 minutes of this time for its own brand promotion and sold the remaining 10 minutes to the Chinese Super League company, earning more than 18 million yuan annually.
Aoto undertakes the LED screen business for the FA Super Cup
Recently, LED and the football industry have joined hands once again. Aoto Electronics announced that it has signed the "CFA China Team LED Service Provider Cooperation Agreement" with China Football Industry Development Company (Fubao), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Chinese Football Association. Aoto Electronics will exclusively provide LED display equipment and related services during competitions for the CFA China Team series of events. In addition, Aoto Electronics will provide display screens for the CFA Super Cup match to Fubao. The agreement is valid from March of this year to March 2020.
The announcement stated that Aoto Electronics once provided LED display systems for this year's UEFA European Championship in France that met international competition standards such as FIFA and UEFA, covering all competition venues in 10 French cities. In addition, Aoto Electronics' products have been widely used in television studios and sports broadcasting application fields. Industry insiders believe this represents a high level of recognition from the industry for sports, especially the football industry. "The biggest advantage and profit point for LED companies lies in their ability to fully explore the commercial value of venue intelligence and event information. However, there is still room for improvement in both the quantity and quality of domestic sports venues. Therefore, it can be seen that this kind of cooperation is a combination of future profit models. LED manufacturers with experience in international top-tier events can enhance the professionalism and brand influence of football match broadcasting, which in turn will promote LED publicity and jointly explore the market."
In addition, it should be noted that the contract between Lehmann and the Chinese Super League, which industry insiders view as having a "super high cost-performance ratio," is only signed until this year. Aoto Electronics' move is considered a way to break into the industry. Industry insiders also indicated that with Lehmann's contract ending, more and more LED manufacturers will see business opportunities, and the partnership between LED and sports, especially football, will become "more and more frequent and sweet."
At the Chinese Super League venues, Lehmann LED screens can bring the company an annual revenue of 18 million yuan.