MONROE, La., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — When it comes to major sporting events, it’s no longer about just watching the game. Today, thanks to innovations in network technology, fans are engaging with events on an experiential level – in the stadium, at home and on mobile devices. Today, fans are the ultimate multitaskers, looking up stats during the game, posting on social media, texting their friends, and if they’re in-stadium, downloading and interacting with special content through mobile apps designed to provide an even more immersive fan experience. As one researcher put it, if there’s something happening on the first screen, there’s probably something happening on the second screen, too.
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes to create a seamless experience for sports fans – particularly with large-scale championship events. The in-stadium experience is critical, as are the elements required to broadcast the game to millions – and in some cases, billions — of people all over the world and to a variety of devices.
CenturyLink Wi-Fi Stadium
CenturyLink Wi-Fi Stadium
CenturyLink Sporting Event Broadcast Infographic
CenturyLink Sporting Event Broadcast Infographic
So what does this entire ecosystem look like?
Redefining the In-Stadium Experience
Let’s start at the stadium level. It seems like only a few years ago, having a mobile device at sporting events was useless because everyone was using the same cellular network, which meant rampant congestion and ultimately, a lot of frustration. Sports teams and stadium owners began to take a hard look at what they could do, and today, many locations have invested heavily in technology and networking architecture that not only allows for enhanced in-venue connectivity, but also for a holistic, smart/IoT-based infrastructure.
An example of this is U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have some of the most fervent professional football fans in the U.S., so they were acutely aware of the need to enhance their in-game experience to meet the needs and expectations of their fans. To do that, they introduced enhanced game-day connectivity via
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