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State of the Stadium Survey: Come Give Us Your Stats

July 17, 2013 by

As part of our partnership with the SEAT Consortium and its SEAT 2013 conference, Mobile Sports Report is currently conducting a “State of the Stadium” survey to get a snapshot of technology deployment at large sporting and entertainment facilities, worldwide. If you or your team is responsible for stadium or arena technology deployments, give us a holler and we will direct you to our online survey site. It’s quick and anonymous — no team names will be attached to results.

All attendees of the SEAT 2013 conference in Kansas City, Aug. 4-7, will receive a copy of the report, as will anyone who participates in the survey. What we are measuring? Deployments, usage and plans to do so in several technology categories, including wireless networks, DAS deployments, digital signage, sports marketing and CRM. Any stadium owner/operator is welcome to participate, along with large-crowd venues like theaters, music festivals, auto race tracks, and anywhere else where large crowds are gathering for entertainment purposes.

If this sounds like you and you want to help out, you can either drop me an email to kaps at mobilesportsreport.com, or say you want to be contacted in a comment on this post. The more the merrier, so come give us your stats! Should be interesting to see what we find out.

P.S. — if you are a stadium technology vendor we also have a few limited sponsor spots available for the report. Contact me the same way if interested.

Filed Under: AT&T, SEAT Conference Tagged With: , , , ,

AT&T Deploys ‘Mobile DAS’ to Answer Big-Event Needs

July 11, 2013 by

AT&T's Mobile DAS truck

AT&T’s Mobile DAS truck

For many sporting events these days, it’s a challenge to bring the mobile connectivity fans want and need when onsite. It’s an especially challenging task at outdoor events like golf tournaments, where infrastructure may be limited and large numbers of fans may be congregated in hard-to-reach areas, like near tees and greens.

At the recent Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial PGA Tour stop in Fort Worth, Texas, AT&T brought some new technology to handle fans’ mobile needs: A mobile DAS, or distributed antenna system, deployment that delivered much more granular cellular coverage to the event than other solutions, like cell towers on wheels (COWs) were capable of bringing.

Simply, by putting DAS head-end equipment into a truck (pictured above) and then by putting up a lot of smaller antennas around the course, AT&T was able to provide more coverage where it was needed, one of the hallmarks of any DAS system. With a few COWs on site as well, AT&T provided a much better level of connectivity than ever before, according to Chad Townes, VP of AT&T’s antenna solutions group.

“Your first choice is always to put in permanent infrastructure, and leave it there if we can,” said Townes in a phone interview earlier this week. But at many places where coverage is needed, like the Colonial Country Club, it simply isn’t possible to string wire and put up antennas. In the past, what cellular providers typically did in one-time situations was bring in the COWs, the cell antennas on wheels. The problem with those antennas, Townes said, is that they sometimes interfered with each other (if parked too closely together), plus they run into the same limitations a regular macro tower has, mainly an inability to handle a big, compact crowd of phone users.

Chad Townes, VP, AT&T Antenna Solutions Group

Chad Townes, VP, AT&T Antenna Solutions Group

Enter the mDAS, which Townes said was “created kind of out of necessity.” With numerous smaller antennas (which don’t interfere with each other as much) AT&T was able to provide much more targeted cellular coverage, a key for events like golf tournaments where fans are often clustered in areas like hospitality tents or greenside stands. Media and tournament officials also put heavy wireless demands on providers, and the mDAS was used to satisfy those bandwidth needs as well.

Townes said AT&T’s mDAS actually got its first test run at the Democratic National Convention a couple years ago, when AT&T didn’t want to sign a long-term DAS lease with the facility the convention was held in. The DAS truck was built, and the antennas were put up the day of the event, with great success. The next question was: Where to use mDAS next?

Inside the AT&T mDAS truck

Inside the AT&T mDAS truck

“Now that we had this asset, what could we do with it?” Townes said. Golf tournaments made instant sense, given their one-time needs for coverage and the infrastructure challenges of an open grassy field. Where else might AT&T deploy mDAS in the future? Maybe at state fairs, or motor sport events held on downtown streets, or big-crowd music festivals, Townes said.

Townes, who is scheduled to speak at the upcoming SEAT conference in Kansas City, said the mDAS was just another way AT&T has responded to the always-changing and never-the-same needs when it comes to providing big-event connectivity.

“Even when you’re putting wireless into stadiums, no two are alike because there are always differences in building materials, or the shape of the bowl,” Townes said. The mDAS, he added, “was just another example of how we had to get real creative” to solve an event’s connectivity needs. (AT&T video about the mDAS at Colonial below)

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, DAS, PGA Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sunday Sermon: Get your Seat to SEAT 2013

July 7, 2013 by

SEAT_290What are you doing the first week of August? If you are in the business of sports stadium or large-arena technology, you should be planning to attend the SEAT 2013 conference Aug. 4-7 in Kansas City. If you’re not, you’re going to miss out on the chance to interact with real people who are tackling the real tasks of bringing technology to their arenas, to enhance the fan experience while they improve their own organization’s bottom line.

As part of our partnership with the folks who run the SEAT conference we are in the process of putting together some great long-form interviews with the people who will be speaking at the event, and those stories will be appearing soon here on the MSR site. Though I hope the stories are informative and entertaining, I know they’re just a small substitute for the “main course” of information you can get by showing up at SEAT in person, to listen in person to the nuances and details of the work being done by these stadium-technology leaders.

Though we’ve paid a lot of attention to stadium technology here at MSR over the last two years, I’ve always known that we are only scratching the surface when we report, say, a new Wi-Fi network being deployed. There’s always more to the story, and as I am learning through these recent interviews with SEAT speakers, there is almost always something specific and local to a stadium, arena or large-crowd facility that is far different from the norm. Like having to deal with historic building regulations in order to install video boards, or having to satisfy a sponsor contract with a wireless service provider while trying to bring connectivity to all the fans in a facility. We’ll soon have some interesting tales from folks running some of the biggest-name places in the big leagues of sports, so stay tuned to hear their stories.

The bottom line is, there are no easy, cookie-cutter ways to deploy technology. That’s why I think hearing as many stories and insights as possible from the people doing this work today is invaluable. And that’s what you’ll get from Aug. 4-7 in Kansas City at SEAT: up-close and personal interaction with the leading deployers of stadium technology and applications, in a setting set up to foster collaboration and information sharing. Don’t miss out, book your ticket to SEAT today.

Filed Under: About MSR, SEAT Conference, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , , ,

MSR, SEAT Conference Announce Strategic Partnership

June 19, 2013 by

SEAT_290Astute MSR readers may have noticed the new display ad on the top right hand side of the site, which promotes the upcoming SEAT 2013 conference. Now the rest of the story: Mobile Sports Report and SEAT are teaming up, with a strategic partnership to produce a special report as well as exclusive content centered around the sports technology executive audience.

We’ve long been fans of SEAT’s focus on providing a place for peers in the sports technology market to get together to discuss best practices, new technologies, and smart strategies for improving the fan experience while improving the bottom line. When the opportunity presented itself to join forces we jumped at the chance, and can’t wait to bring the stories of the SEAT attendees to the MSR audience.

If you’re not familiar with SEAT, it is the premier conference for the sports and arena technology executive, taking place this year in Kansas City, Aug. 4-7. SEAT, which stands for Sports and Entertainment Alliance in Technology, regularly attracts the top tech execs from all the U.S. major sports leagues, as well as representatives from entertainment venues and other large-crowd sports whose audiences and business operations present unique technology challenges.

We’ve covered some of those topics here in our focus on stadium Wi-Fi and DAS networks, but we’ll be expanding that charter as part of our partnership with SEAT. Look for exclusive interviews here on MSR with SEAT speakers and thought leaders, and if you choose to attend SEAT (and you should, if this is your field) then you will receive our upcoming special in-depth survey report on stadium technology deployment.

Want more info? Drop me a line here at kaps at mobilesportsreport.com. Better yet, sign up for the SEAT Conference and let’s talk there. See you in Kansas City!

Filed Under: Apps, Cisco, DAS, ESPN, Social Media, Sports Content Executives, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: The U.S. Open, Philly Style

June 12, 2013 by

US Open MerionAre you ready for 2013 Major No. 2? The big daddy of them all? I truly can’t wait for this one to start, because I feel like we all sorta got cheated at the Masters. I mean — lost in the hubbub of the Tiger Drop Crisis was the fact that the dude was just about ready to take the lead and start stomping everyone.

And then the ball hit the pole. And went into the drink. And then the wheels came off.

As play starts today outside Philadelphia at the quirky old Merion East course (Anyone else think the logo featuring the pole-baskets looks like a freaking bloody Q-tip?) all eyes rightfully will be on Tiger Woods, and his quest for Major No. 15. Nobody else really matters right now, and nobody this year is truly playing at his level. But one thing is for sure, the “new” Tiger isn’t anything like the old — over the last year or so he has shown a tendancy to choke on the weekends at majors, something he never did before. And the rest of the guys playing? They’ve gotten better.

What does that mean for Tiger? It means his margin of error is much slimmer than it was when he was the only guy on the tour who looked like an athlete. Now there’s lots of them. He used to be by far the farthest hitter, now he’s about top average. There are new foreign foes like Graeme McDowell, who aren’t going to be intimidated by Tiger the way the U.S. Tour guys used to be. With its tight layout and wet conditions Merion is probably going to be a birdie fest, so no more rope-a-dope par fests like last year at Olympic. There’s going to be room to make shots here, so let’s get it on. Having just watched the Blackhawks beat the Bruins in triple overtime in the Stanley Cup opener, I’m ready for more drama and lore. Don’t let us down, Tiger. Or whoever wants to keep Tiger’s majorless streak going.

ESPN has your live TV Thursday and Friday, our suggestion is mute when Berman starts talking, unmute when Van Pelt has the mike. NBC gets the weekend, with lots of online viewing available at USOpen.com or via the U.S. Open app, which beats pants off the PGA Tour app (which still doesn’t really work on all Android phones). WatchESPN and ESPNRadio also available online.

THE U.S. OPEN

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, June 13 — ESPN, 9 a.m. — 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. — 7 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 5 p.m.
Friday, June 14 — ESPN, 9 a.m. — 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. — 7 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 5 p.m.
Saturday, June 15 — NBC, 1 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 16 — NBC, 1 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 4 p.m., Thursday; 12 p.m. — 5 p.m, Friday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

ESPN RADIO
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m. — 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

NEW! PGA TOUR RADIO!
This a better deal for those not living in the U.S., because it’s free internationally. Inside the U.S. you will pay (due to rights fees) $1.99 per event or $9.99 for the whole year. Gives you the CBS feed, audio version. Click here for more info and payment plans for your area.

ONLINE
The U.S. Open site at USOpen.com has live online coverage with featured groups.
Thursday groups:
7:11 a.m. – Marquee Group 1 (Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley)
1:14 p.m. – Marquee Group 2 (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott)
Friday groups:
7:44 a.m. – Marquee Group 1 (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott)
12:41 p.m. – Marquee Group 2 (Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley)

Featured groups on the weekend, TBD.

There are also mobile apps for iOS and Android.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here’s the USGA Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The U.S. Open Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend. Now leading the Wei (hah!) with Google+ Hangouts during most tourneys.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.
Matt Ginella is a former Golf Digest writer now at Golf Channel. Your guide to the best golf course reviews, evar. Plus great columnist-type commentary on a regular basis.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
If you haven’t heard about good old Merion and the baskets on the flagpoles you’ve been under a rock the past week. Here’s a great lengthy takeout on Merion’s East Course from the folks at SBNation.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
The Birdman! Excuse me, it was Webb Simpson, with an assist from Jim Furyk.

Filed Under: Apps, ESPN, ESPN Radio, Golf, PGA, Tiger Woods, US Open, WatchESPN, WatchESPN Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Verizon Extends NFL Mobile Deal for $1 Billion

June 4, 2013 by

Verizon Wireless and the NFL have extended their current deal around mobile viewing of live NFL games, with a $1 billion, 4-year extension announced this week.

The billion-dollar deal does not, however, cover mobile viewing on tablet devices, a distinction noted by this story in Sports Business Daily and one we will bet is going to be kept by the league for its own video streaming plans. There will be more to this story later, but the good news for football fans who have Verizon phones is that for the 2014 season, you will be able to watch all live games — including CBS and Fox broadcasts — and not just the Thursday-Sunday lineup now available.

No word yet on ESPN’s plans to pay for mobile access for sports fans. On the Verizon side, the NFL Mobile viewing access is still apparently priced at $5 per month, but I bet that increases with the increased game schedule in 2014. Got to pay for that $1 billion bill somehow!

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NFL, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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