Football game plans give you two ways to show sponsors: in-graphic ads that sit inside your graphics, and detached ads that sit anywhere on screen. Both can run in breaks, on match events or on time triggers. You can fill them with your own adverts or hand slots to the home or away club.
Playlist ads are one of two equally valid ways to run ads. You can also use Ad Allocation in the Ads tab. See Ad Allocation or playlist ads: which to use.
In-Graphic Ads
In-graphic ads are baked into graphics that have an ad area, such as the match ID, scorebug, team lists or match stats. The advert can only fill that area, and each ad area has a fixed size, which is shown in the app.
Not every graphic has an ad area. If no Assets section appears when you add or edit a graphic in a playlist, that graphic can't carry an in-graphic ad.
Detached Ads
Detached ads aren't tied to a graphic. They sit anywhere on screen at any size. You add them to a playlist as an Advertisement or Ad Template item, then drag them into place on the 1920x1080 canvas.
For a side-by-side comparison, see Understanding in-graphic ads vs detached ads.
Configuring In-Graphic Ads in Playlists
Go to the Automation tab and open your Automated Game Plan.
Open the playlist where you want the ad to appear, for example your half time or pre-game playlist.
Add the graphic with Add Item to Sequence > Overlay Graphic, or edit a graphic that's already in the playlist.
In the Assets section, choose a specific advert from your organisation, or choose Add Slot to give the ad area to the home or away club.
For the full steps, see Adding in-graphic ads to playlist graphics.
Configuring Detached Ads in Playlists
Open the playlist, click Add Item to Sequence and choose one of these items:
Advertisement: choose Image Ads, Custom Images, Video Ads or Club Slot. Pick a size from Small to Extra Large. Leave the duration empty to keep the ad on screen for the whole playlist.
Ad Template: set a start time, then either a Duration or the Loop toggle. With Loop on, the duration field shows "Loop enabled - no duration" and the template keeps cycling its adverts in the order set in the template.
Every item has a start time in mm:ss. Drag the ad on the 1920x1080 canvas to place it, and use Grid Snap to line it up. Ad templates also let you set the X and Y centre position.
Time-Triggered Advertising
Before the match, give a Pre/Post Match & Breaks playlist a Time Trigger to run it a set time before kick-off.
During play, create a playlist in the In Game (Live) tab and add a Time trigger (Time elapsed) in Configure. Enter a time in mm:ss, then click + Add time trigger to add more times to the same trigger, for example a sponsor every 5 minutes.
A note in the app says this trigger defaults to priority 4 with the guards isLive and isNotPenaltyShootout, but attaching it doesn't change the playlist's own settings. Set priority 4 and those guards in Configure > Advanced options, so the ad only runs during play and goals and cards always win.
To show a sponsor without the scoreboard, start the playlist with Hide all, add the ad a second later, then finish with Show scorebug. See Show sponsor ads during play without the scoreboard and Run a playlist at a set time with time triggers.
Event-Triggered Advertising
Event ads show sponsors at high-attention moments. Add an in-graphic ad or a detached ad item to a playlist with a live trigger such as Goal, Yellow Card, Red Card or Substitution. When the event comes through from live scoring, the playlist fires and the ad plays at its start time.
Breaks work the same way. Add ads to a playlist triggered by a break, such as half time.
Live playlists should end by bringing the scorebug back with Show scorebug or Hide all except scorebug. Give every item its own start second so transitions don't wipe each other. See Live triggers: events, milestones and time and Playlist warnings and timing tips.
Ad Assignment and Club Delegation
You have two ways to fill an ad:
Choose a specific advert from your organisation. This suits league-wide sponsors.
Give the slot to the home or away club. Use Add Slot in a graphic's Assets section, or the Club Slot option on an Advertisement item. A club slot has a name, size, timing and position.
Clubs see their slots on the Ad Slots page in the Club Portal, including the playlist, when it shows and its size. They upload the advert to fill it. If the club hasn't uploaded one, the slot has nothing to show. See How to delegate ad slots to clubs through the Club Portal.
Enabling Ads on an Overlay
Ads only show on an overlay that has ads turned on. This is separate from setting up ads in your playlists.
On the Matches table, expand your match.
Open the menu on the overlay's row and click Configure. The UPDATE OVERLAY window opens.
Click Ads in the section list on the left.
Set Ad Type to Brands. With No Brands selected, no ads show.
Switch Enable Ads on.
Click Update.
Common Issues
Ads not appearing on output
Check that the overlay's Ad Type is Brands and Enable Ads is on.
Check that the ad is in the right playlist and the game plan is assigned to the match's competition and theme instance.
Check that Manual is switched off in the Control Room, so the game plan runs the graphics automatically.
For in-graphic ads, check that the graphic has an Assets section and an advert or slot is chosen.
A higher priority playlist, such as a goal, can take over a sponsor playlist that's running.
See Why ads are not appearing on broadcast output. You can test a playlist with Preview a playlist or Review a match against your game plan.
Delegated slot is empty during broadcast
The club hasn't uploaded an advert for the slot on its Ad Slots page. Ask the club to upload it. See Why a delegated ad slot is empty during broadcast.