By the end of August 2024, Germany's basketball team Bayern Munich announced that they would use LED glass floor screens for their home games next season. While the use of LED floor screens in basketball venues is not entirely new, this is the first time a team has decided to utilize them on a long-term basis. The long-term use of LED floor screens requires more "technological, investment, and business model" innovations. Industry analysts believe that this may create new business opportunities for the combination of LED screens and sports.
LED + Sports: From Advertising Boards to Floor Led Screens
In February of this year, the NBA All-Star Game decided to be held on a brand new LED court. The dazzling LED floor screen brought additional benefits to both the live audience and broadcasts. This serves as another example of the combination of LED Display Screens and sports. It is reported that the LED floor screen used in the game officially adopted Mykas Led technology's high-end LED floor screen. The primary applications of LED screens in sports include three aspects: first, the rigid demand, such as LED scoreboards. With the large display, high brightness, and clear visibility, LED screens ensure that the audience and broadcasters can see the score, time, and referee judgments. Second, live LED replay screens. This application provides the back-row audience with a clearer view of the details and the ability to replay multiple-angle footage during breaks, increasing the enjoyment or playing advertisements. The above two applications mainly focus on improving the game and the viewing experience, providing greater value in enhancing the live spectator experience and attracting on-site audiences.
The third type of integration between LED screens and sports is commonly seen in football and basketball stadiums—the "advertising board" screens. The primary purpose of these screens is for "sponsorship advertising." The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship used VAR technology for the first time. In addition to providing on-site advertising, the screens also offer "content-replacement markers" that allow different regional broadcast and live audiences to see completely different advertisements. VAR technology has increased the "commercial value potential" of advertising board screens, making it a necessary application.
As for the "floor screens" currently being attempted in basketball courts, it can be said that they encompass the functionalities of the above three types: displaying court markings, court advertisements, VAR technology-replaced ad markers, score updates, game replays, and even serving as a background stage for cheerleaders. Since these screens are directly on the playing court, occupying a special "prime position" during games, they possess the "greatest" commercial value.
According to industry insiders, the adoption of LED floor screens by the NBA and European basketball leagues is more focused on improving the on-site and broadcasting viewing experience, as well as discovering more commercial value opportunities. It is an additional tool for making money in commercial sports, which is undoubtedly good news and a good choice.
LED floor screens face higher "technical demands"
Whether it is a scoreboard, replay screen, or advertising board screen, these LED display facilities in sports venues are located in relatively "safe positions." Even though advertising boards may occasionally collide with footballs or basketballs, the intensity and frequency of such collisions are limited, and localized damage has little impact on the game and advertisements.
However, as floor-mounted LED equipment, the level of impact they must withstand is completely different. "Traditional LED displays should be avoided from being hit, whereas floor screens are designed to be hit." Moreover, compared to traditional stage floor Led screens, the intensity and frequency of collisions on sports fields will inevitably be higher. As the "prime spot" for events, any local malfunction of the floor screen can have a greater impact on the competition and viewing experience—for example, partial blackouts can lead to incomplete court markings, directly affecting the progress of the game. Therefore, LED floor screens for sports competitions require extremely high standards in terms of strength, stability, and reliability.
On the other hand, different sports have different "physiological characteristics" requirements for LED floor screens. For example, basketball courts require the LED screens to simulate the hardness, strength, elasticity, and toughness of wooden floors. This is a unique and necessary demand that goes beyond display purposes. It is reported that the LED floor screens used in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game were designed with a double-layered glass-embedded LED screen structure, which mimics the strength and friction characteristics of a wooden court through special glass and further simulates its deformation and elastic properties via layered structures.
Of course, as an additional cost for LED floor screens in professional sports events and commercial operations, there must be a "viable return on investment." LED floor screens not only offer new advertising space but also include customizable regional advertising experiences brought by VAR technology's global broadcasts. On another note, LED floor screens can also participate in "refereeing" and "athlete training" during games. By adding more sensors to the LED floor screens, various data can be collected, such as player positions, crossing lines, dwell times, and force exertion, providing referees and coaches with valuable insights. LED floor screens, therefore, not only serve as a "display tool" but also become a "data collection tool" for sports, creating more value in different aspects.
According to industry analysis, LED floor screens may become more crucial and demand-driven in commercial sports compared to "advertising board screens" in the future. On-site advertising, court markings, replays, AR interaction, AI training—especially the absence of traditional "adhesive stickers" within certain friction zones on the field, forming overall consistency—contribute to the safety and fairness of the game. This represents a growing niche market for the LED industry with differentiated innovation and high-end applications, featuring high premiums and added value.
Accelerating the integration of LED displays and sports requires more innovation in digital applications
In 2024, the UEFA European Football Championship implemented VAR technology for the first time, providing customized advertising services in regionally broadcasted markets. This not only represents innovation in business models but also signifies further integration between sports and digital technologies such as AI.
Technologies like the Hawk-Eye referee system and VAR advertising technology represent the continuous digitalization and intelligence development in sports. From this perspective, LED displays, as a typical digital scene technology, will undoubtedly continue to evolve in its combination with sports. While advertising board screens can gain more commercial value through VAR technology, LED displays integrated with more AI, sensors, and interactive technologies can create even more "wonders" in other specific areas.
In basketball, the world's first LED glass floor screen competition took place in the 3x3 basketball tournament in the Ruhr area of Germany in 2021. The 2024 NBA All-Star Game achieved the first "fully commercialized" application of LED floor screens. Furthermore, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) officially approved LED floors in basketball arenas in 2022 to obtain new opportunities for game viewing, organization, broadcasts, and advertising. In 2023, LED floor screens were used in the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup for the first time in a global competition. In the 2024-2025 season, the German basketball team Bayern Munich and the Greek team Panathinaikos will be the first to host full-season games with LED floor screens.
It is evident that the application of LED floor screens in sports has undergone rapid exploration, commercial trials, rule adjustments, and now, standardized usage in professional competitions. Industry insiders believe that in addition to basketball, other visually appealing sports such as tennis, volleyball, and more, will also embrace LED floor screens. Even table tennis and snooker tables could benefit from LED displays. Moreover, through the integration of AI sensors and LED displays, gymnastics, diving, and other "technical" sports can explore new methods of training and data collection.
"Provide new training facilities and methods for sports, develop digitized, sensor-equipped, interactive LED facilities; provide court screens to enhance commercial development potential and enjoyment in sports" — the combination of LED displays and sports will leverage more digital technologies to achieve new breakthroughs and upgrades. This will undoubtedly create a differentiated market segment for the LED industry, serving as a high-end application market with high premiums and added value.
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