Decentriq helps securely connect rightsholder and brand first-party fan data in Sportradar’s FanID marketing platform

Solving the cookie crunch with first-party data 

The decline of third-party cookies is forcing brands to rethink how they can effectively reach their customers. Without third-party cookies forming the backbone of ad targeting, measurement, and customer insights across touchpoints, many brands are exploring ways to use first-party data to run campaigns that are relevant, engaging, and effective. 

At the same time, rightsholders, who sit on a wealth of data about their fans in respect to their behaviors and preferences, have an opportunity to take on a more central role in the new advertising landscape. 

Rightsholders and brands each hold keys to individual fan understanding. Joining forces can open new possibilities for deeper insights into fans and new opportunities for campaigns. However, it’s imperative that fan data stays confidential during this collaboration, and that each side maintains full autonomy over their own proprietary information.

The challenge for all participants in the ad space is how to tap into and use first-party data — often sensitive and proprietary — and connect it with partner data in a secure and privacy-preserving way.

Data collaboration via Decentriq forms part of the Sportradar FanID solution

To solve this challenge, Sportradar chose Decentriq’s data clean rooms for secure data collaboration within its new Sportradar FanID first-party marketing solution. With Sportradar FanID, sports rightsholders and brands connect their individual sources of first-party data in privacy-preserving data clean rooms to build anonymized fan profiles around a specific sport. Sportradar’s proprietary and sport-specific marketing activation technology then leverages these profiles to create and serve personalized, targeted activations on a first-party basis.

Through Sportradar FanID’s application of Decentriq, each organization can contribute their first-party data for joint analysis and use while fully protecting data privacy and confidentiality with the most advanced privacy technologies available.

Giving brands and rightsholders data autonomy with “zero trust” collaboration

To protect fan privacy and give rightsholders and their partner brands full control over their proprietary data within the Sportradar FanID platform, Decentriq’s data clean rooms rely on several privacy-preserving technologies — including Microsoft Azure’s market-leading confidential computing infrastructure.

Confidential computing ensures that no party can access the data of another at any point during the collaboration — not even the technology providers. This approach is also known as “zero trust”, meaning no participant must trust a third party with their data, because it remains encrypted and confidential by design.

Decentriq has built additional safeguards into its data clean room technology, such as strict access controls, synthetic data generation, and differential privacy. This way, sensitive data remains protected throughout and is only used for the agreed-upon purpose.

Sportradar at the forefront of first-party marketing innovation

As a company at the center of the sports industry ecosystem, Sportradar is in a unique position to bring together rightsholders with brands globally and lead the way in a major shift towards first-party data in marketing to sports fans. We’re excited to be a part of this innovation. 

Sportradar has set an important milestone in this shifting marketing landscape, building a solution that will both support brands and sports leagues in navigating the changes while also protecting the privacy of fans.

Read more about FanID in Sportradar’s press release.