Opinion: Why Stadium Connectivity Is Being Held Back

Gordon Campbell, co-CEO, Stadia Solutions, asks why stadium connectivity is being held back by complexity and confusion…

Sports stadium connectivity and fan engagement are hot issues. There must be very few large football clubs, federations or stadium owners that have not painstakingly considered how, and if, they should deliver reliable connectivity to fans in their venues. Fans are demanding it, sponsors are increasingly expecting it, and the benefits for all parties – in terms of increased engagement, new and incremental revenues – are clear to see.

It’s been more than three years since stadium connectivity first started to be discussed in earnest in the UK, and yet there are still just a handful of installations, even fewer that can be claimed a success. Compared to the U.S., where the NFL and MLB are now insisting upon stadium connectivity at their teams’ venues, the European market is yet to fully take off.

CELTICLIVE SHOWS IT CAN BE DONE

Stadia Solutions is in a unique position to observe and analyse why this may be – as we specified, installed and continue to run the UK’s biggest and most successful connected stadium project – at Celtic Park in Glasgow. The award-winning HD WiFi system delivers true connectivity across the 60,800-capacity stadium, serving fans with exclusive content and services via our matchday app, CelticLIVE. Going live in October 2013, it is now the UK longest-running connected stadium project.

Despite so few stadium HD WiFi systems  being up and running in the UK, that doesn’t mean that big clubs and stadium owners are not being barraged by a perplexing and diverse array of technical options, business models and commercial forecasts for delivering connectivity. This in itself is part of the problem still holding the market back – connection has been overtaken by confusion.

Clubs are being told they can create a connected environment not only using WiFi, but also over mobile, using 4G/DAS. This is the model that EE has used at Wembley Stadium. Meanwhile, on the horizon, people are talking excitedly about the potential of 5G – but in reality that is at least four years away. Too long to hang around waiting.

COMPETING BUSINESS MODELS

And, not only are there many different technical specifications, there is also a plethora of business models. For example, some operators are offering to install systems for free, in return for the club giving away digital and traditional rights. Others are proposing a fee to access the WiFi – a tall order when most venues – from hotels to airports – are offering WiFi for free.

There are too many models and too many claims about the performance of different technologies. Some will say they can deliver WiFi across the stadium, but is it true HD WiFi? And to what proportion of the audience can it deliver a quality service and meet the needs of commercial partners?  Others will say 4G/DAS is the way forward, but it just can’t deliver true high-density broadband in the way that true high-density WiFi can. Cellular mobile networks also can’t compete on cost. Currently, a good in-stadia 4G DAS system costs four to ten times more than an HD Wi-Fi solution.  And then there’s the question of user data – with a 4G/DAS system, the network operator owns and controls the user data, preventing the club or rights holder from engaging the fans in new ways and realising any value from it.

No wonder clubs are struggling to see where the return on investment lies. Stadia Solutions is the only player in this crowded space to have delivered and operated a fully commercial and high-performing system, we know how to structure a successful business model, we know what technology works the best and we know what content the fans want.  The clubs and venues need clarity to inspire confidence, where connectivity is being held back by unnecessary complexity and confusion.

Whatever, the uncertainties, we know that fan engagement and stadium connectivity have real business benefits, drive incremental revenues, and create new opportunities with sponsors and media partners. It’s not even the future – the technology and know-how  and the commercial models are here; it’s just a question of seeing the wood through the trees.