Tag: Super Bowl

How Will 5G Affect the Way We View the Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Verizon Wireless is about to make 5G history at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. They started their journey to provide 5G Ultra Wideband service to 100 million users nationwide and now they’re making even more 5G services available with 5G Home Internet and 5G Business Internet.

The most exciting thing to come from this journey – aside from the additional 5G coverage for us consumers – is the tech they’re incorporating into the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. Verizon will also showcase the speed and power of its 5G network throughout the game broadcast – from the on-field action to immersive mobile access to the halftime show.

This is in fact Verizon’s fifth consecutive year with an in-game advertisement and they’re pulling out all the stops with funny man Jim Carrey reprising his role as “The Cable Guy.”  

The show will be streamed in real-time via several 360-degree 4K cameras placed around the stadium, field, and stage. This will give fans what Verizon is calling a “second screen experience.” Using the Pepsi Halftime mobile app, fans will be able to enter their “Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Ultra Pass Powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband” and gain access to “exclusive vantage points not accessible on television.” 

“The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Ultra Pass Powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband is so much more than just a second-screen experience, it lets fans feel as though they are on stage with the artists,” said Diego Scotti, CMO, Verizon. “Utilizing 5G Ultra Wideband technology and in close partnership with Pepsi, Roc Nation and the NFL, we are able to enhance one of the most-watched events of the year, in a way that’s never been done before, opening the doors for the future of live events.”

“This year’s Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show performance is already among the most anticipated of all time, so we wanted to provide fans with an unprecedented level of access. Since most people already consume content on their mobile devices while watching the game on TV, we thought it was a great opportunity to create a new, immersive way for fans to experience the performance – as if they were on the stage or in the stadium itself – all from within our Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show mobile app,” said Todd Kaplan, VP of Marketing, Pepsi. 

For fans that will be attending the big game, Verizon is also providing their “5G Multi-View” which will be found within the NFL Ticketholder app. This will however be limited to select Android and iOS 5G phones. It will give those fans the opportunity to engage with up to seven different camera angles, project AR overlays of NFL’s Next Gen Stats for players, and access instant replays. Using Verizon 5G Multi-View means you will never miss a moment of the on-field action – it will be right in the palm of your hand. 

Among the investments Verizon has put into their 5G network, they made a $119 million long term investment throughout Los Angeles and Inglewood, just in preparation for the big game. Of course, that investment on 169 small cells, 4 macro cell sites, and 24 new in-building systems is going to benefit customers living in and traveling to the area for quite some time to come. With regards to the Super Bowl, these solutions will provide reliable, secure service to visitors attending the game, NFL players and staff, first responders and residents of Los Angeles and Inglewood enjoying all the festivities surrounding the big game and beyond.

With all the commotion the Super Bowl brings, we can’t forget about the first responders and workers around the stadium keeping us safe. Verizon Frontline, the advanced network and technology built for first responders, is working closely with public safety agencies throughout Los Angeles County to help ensure first responders have the reliable connectivity they need to protect fans at the game and those in the local community. The Verizon Command Center will also be operating around the clock to help ensure first responders and fans are able to communicate effectively.

For fans at home, you’ve now got the option of 5G Home Internet, available in select areas. Set up is plug and play and will allow you to connect all your TVs, tablets, phones, gaming consoles, etc, to Verizon’s fast 5G network. 

There’s also 5G Business Internet (available in select areas), which gives business customers a wireless alternative to cable internet. It can support businesses of all sizes and includes self setup or professional installation options, multiple pricing and service options, unlimited data, and a 10-year price guarantee (Price guarantee applies to monthly access fee only. Terms and restrictions apply).

So, whether fans are at the game, at home, or on the go, they can stream, tweet, Snap and share quickly and reliably, using Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network.

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How Can 5G Change Your “Live” Sports Experience

Up until more recently, every sports fan would likely agree that the best way to watch live sports is in a loud stadium packed with other like minded fans. Due to the changes we’ve all had to face with the pandemic, it’s now more difficult to feel comfortable around thousands of strangers.

At-home tech is growing and making it more possible for fans to enjoy the same benefits from the safety of their couch. Fans aren’t only interested in watching the live games, but they are now looking more at real-time tracking of scores and stats. They may even be streaming multiple games at the same time. And what would make the experience even better? To be totally immersed within the game using augmented reality. This truly 21st century tech can now be made possible thanks to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service. 

5G Ultra Wideband is available in select areas right now, but Verizon is slowly rolling out more coverage. As Verizon continues to expand this service coverage and as 5G adoption increases, users will be able to experience a secure, reliable connection that offers great speeds, massive capacity and low latency. 

With the Big Game ready to go this weekend, and more fans feeling comfortable about getting together, 5G Ultra Wideband enables endless possibilities for a second-screen experience while attending live games. Moving forward, this could shape stadium operations in a way that makes navigating a crowded stadium more seamless.

5G Ultra Wideband in crowded stadiums

Assuming you’ve ever found yourself at a crowded event, you may have experienced times where your smartphone essentially stops providing a cellular signal, or you simply have no speed to do anything. You may be able to place a phone call, but forget about texts or social media posts, and especially don’t think about trying to stream any video. 

“At stadiums where you’re packing 70,000 or 80,000 people into a confined area, connectivity has been a challenge for years,” says Eric Nagy, director of sports partnerships and innovation at Verizon. “So when you look at 5G and its characteristics, it really fits in nicely when it comes to stadiums. When you are connected to 5G Ultra Wideband in such a crowded, tight area, you can still get outstanding performance and do things that those around you can’t.”

According to Verizon’s announcement, “5G Ultra Wideband’s high performance should transform not only stadiums but the operations of retail stores, restaurants and even cities. For an enterprise, it could create a safer factory floor and many other benefits.”

There’s several applications for in-person fans that are already showing great promise. Fans will be able to easily track statistics and win probability, pull up in-game stats on the game they’re attending or even stream additional games on their mobile device. It also opens the door to entirely new and innovative ways of experiencing the game.

Enter Verizon’s 5G Multi-View experience – “a dynamic, personalized mobile streaming experience, available in select stadiums, that allows fans to view seven camera angles at once, choose replays from any angle and stay connected to family and friends with a selfie cam.” On some 5G-enabled phones, the experience adds AR-overlays of stats like top plays and win probability.

There’s also some exciting features from the folks at ShotTracker, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company. They have built hardware that uses sensors on the ball, in spots around the field, and even on the players. This allows them to track activity in real-time and send that data back where coaches and players can review them. With access to live analytics, it can help players learn from mistakes and the coach at making quicker decisions on how to proceed. 

“Most dynamic of all may be the impact on the fan experience,” says Davyeon Ross, co-founder and president at ShotTracker. “Not only does live data-sharing enable broadcasters to show fans value-add diagrams like shot maps or up-to-the-second stats, but the future could be headed for an experience that fans can more easily personalize, both at the game and at home.” 

It’s easy to imagine the possibilities now with 5G. Having cameras on the players, ShotTracker’s technology, and a reliable 5G connection in place may one day allow us to view the game from that player’s perspective. 

“Our data is connected to the video, so we could make it so that if you’re home, you could configure it and say, ‘hey, I want to choose what view I want to see. I want a ‘Zion Cam’ or maybe I want this pylon view that’s available,’” Ross says, referring to cameras attached to an individual player or pylons around a stadium. “Historically, broadcasters have controlled what we see as consumers. I think the evolution of 5G is not only in-stadium, but outside of stadiums. It’s going to empower and amplify those solutions to allow a certain level of personalization that will come in the future.”

Evolving the fan experience

In the near future, 5G has the potential of completely revolutionizing the way fans experience “live” sports. As we’ve already seen with T-Mobile at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, one area that can greatly benefit are stadiums and their day to day operations. Imagine having the option to enter the game with ticketless, hands-free entry or quickly grab snacks, beverages or merchandise by paying with touchless sales options rather than using a card or smart device. In an effort to start that process, Verizon opened a 5G-powered store offering “grab and go” checkout at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on December 19th.

“I visited our ‘frictionless’ store in Miami,” says Nagy, “and I walked in and walked out within 30 seconds buying the merchandise that I needed.”

With regards to augmented reality, some ideas have been to show fans wait times – on bathroom lines, concession stands, or at the exit gates.  Other innovations have yet to be envisioned. And even with the progress, Nagy says Verizon will continue to take in fan input and shape the stadium experience moving forward. His team is studying, for instance, how fans interact with the Multi-View experience. 

“Is this something that you use when you’re going out for a break to grab a beverage and want to stay up to date with the game? Or is it something you’re going to use in your seat when you’re sitting 20 rows back from the field?” Nagy asks. “We’re exploring that right now, and we take a lot of feedback from fans.”

How Teams Can Improve with 5G Tech

Aside from the fan experience, 5G is making a profound impact on the sporting world. This was most recently displayed during the Phoenix Suns’ last season. The team and their coaching staff utilized Verizon 5G and advanced analytic tools, which helped the Suns reveal otherwise hidden insights. In use were 150 HD cameras, sensors, nodes and 3D force plates, all of which was to capture computer-aided motion analysis, player and ball tracking, and shot tracking. It then leveraged 5G Ultra Wideband connectivity to tie it all together into a single integrated system.

It’s not just basketball either. Teams across almost every sport have started to integrate some type of 5G technology. Nagy says a recent use case with the NHL allowed for testers to point their 5G device, using an AR app running on Verizon’s 5G Edge with AWS wavelength, at any player on the ice and see real-time stats overlaid in AR, such as player speed, time on ice and historical stats.

“There could be a world where you have models written so you can detect certain defenses, and then you could get suggestions on what you do to counteract that,” Nagy says. “Could that be the future? I don’t know. I think the key is that the technology and 5G will help enable that.

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Can the Super Bowl Support Fans on 5G

It’s almost time for the Los Angeles Rams to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in this year’s Super Bowl and T-Mobile is ready to support the thousands of fans. 

Over the past 18 months T-Mobile engineers have been working hard to add more permanent 5G coverage and capacity to the Los Angeles area. This is not only part of their original plan to cover more than 300 million users with 5G by 2023, but also to ensure fans have a great experience at this year’s biggest football game. 

“The investment we’ve made in LA over the past 18 months is massive!” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “This is a powerhouse 5G network with incredible capacity using the most advanced technologies in wireless. And best of all, it’s just going to get even better as we keep building out the #1 fastest 5G network in LA and nationwide.”

That investment was more than $100 million for 5G infrastructure across the city. Now, more than 95 percent of people in Greater Los Angeles are now covered with T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G network. This was made possible with the hundreds of upgraded and newly installed 5G macro sites and small cells (nearly 200), as well as 5G upgrades at LAX, and numerous other venues. T-Mobile customers should get blazing fast 5G speeds while traveling around the area, tailgating and sharing their favorite moments at the game.

At SoFi Stadium, where the big game will be held, T-Mobile deployed a brand new state-of-the-art 5G system. This system was upgraded with 100 Gigabit backhaul and with the deployment of Ultra Capacity 5G service, it’s using mid-band and millimeter wave spectrum. The equipment installed gives SoFi the capability equal to nearly 100 traditional macro cell sites! Tests show the speeds have been fast too. During the NFC Championship game on January 30, T-Mobile customers could experience peak download speeds of 1.5 Gbps!

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