Tech | Comcast and NBCUniversal, San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s® Stadium
Comcast and NBCUniversal today announced a 10-year agreement with the San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s® Stadium designed to deliver an unmatched in-stadium fan experience. Comcast is leveraging multiple business units – Comcast Cable, Comcast Business, regional sports network Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, and local NBC owned station NBC Bay Area – to help power what will be one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in sports.
One of professional football’s most storied franchises, the San Francisco 49ers will play their first NFL season at Levi’s® Stadium in 2014. Through partnerships with technology providers like Comcast, the 68,500-seat, open-air stadium, which will host Super Bowl L in 2016, will showcase Silicon Valley innovation and feature stadium-wide WiFi access, mobile connectivity, IPTV, and HD video boards measuring over 13,000 square feet. The stadium will also feature a ticketless, cashless infrastructure designed to increase convenience for attendees.
As part of the partnership, Comcast will provide fiber-based Ethernet Internet access and video capabilities throughout Levi’s® Stadium, sponsorship of free WiFi for fans, and cloud-based voice and unified communications services for employees at the stadium and at the team’s corporate offices. Additionally, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will build a new, state-of-the-art 1,000 square foot TV studio – CSN Bay Area Studios at Levi’s® Stadium – for gameday broadcasts and other 49ers-related programming on CSN Bay Area and NBC Bay Area.
“The mission for Levi’s® Stadium has always been to create an unparalleled gameday experience through the use of innovative technology,” said 49ers CEO Jed York. “Comcast is the perfect partner to help us achieve that goal, as the services they provide will allow our fans to customize their individual stadium experience through the use of their own mobile devices.”
“Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Levi’s® Stadium will feature new and exciting ways for the team’s fervent and tech-savvy fan base to experience a live event, from ubiquitous WiFi to innovative mobile applications and rich video content,” said Bill Stemper, President, Comcast Business. “This partnership is representative of how Comcast, by deploying our full suite of consumer and business products, can deliver reliable, high-capacity Internet connectivity for fans, media and stadium employees while supporting various multimedia initiatives.”
Specifics of the deal include:
Comcast Business Ethernet: Comcast Business, the Official Internet Partner of the San Francisco 49ers, will equip the stadium with redundant 10Gbps Ethernet Dedicated Internet lines which will provide Internet access for fans, media and team employees prior to the opening of the 2014 NFL season.
Comcast’s Business VoiceEdge: This service gives stadium employees and front office staff cloud-based voice and advanced unified communications services, including a mobile app so they don’t miss a call wherever they are in the world.
Xfinity from Comcast: Comcast will provide the in-house video feed to all television monitors at Levi’s® Stadium, as well as video services in specific areas of the venue under the company’s Xfinity brand, allowing patrons to access ancillary programming while attending concerts and other events at the venue. In addition, interactive Xfinity-branded kiosks will be installed throughout the stadium, allowing fans to sample Xfinity products and have a hands-on interaction with new technology. In addition, the iconic XFINITY Couch will be built into two locations within the stadium, allowing a select number of lucky fans to have the “Best Seat in the House”
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, The Official Cable Home of the San Francisco 49ers, will air more than 400 hours of 49ers-related programming each year, including 49ers Pregame Live, 49ers Postgame Live, and 49ers Press Conference Live, as well as 49ers Central, 49ers Way, The Faithful, 49ers Preseason Special, 49ers Postseason Special, 49ers Draft Preview and The Gold Standard: 49ers Hall of Fame Inductions. Many of the shows will originate from the network’s new, exclusive television studio – CSN Bay Area Studios at Levi’s® Stadium. In addition, the network’s signature showsSportsNet Central and Yahoo! SportsTalk Live will continue to present the region’s most comprehensive 49ers news and analysis, daily insider reports and in-depth interviews with players, coaches, alumni and front office personnel.
“We are pleased to extend our ever-evolving partnership with the San Francisco 49ers and honored to be a partner of Levi’s® Stadium,” said Ted Griggs, president and general manager of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. “Fans have come to rely on Comcast SportsNet as the region’s leading source for comprehensive, in-depth multi-platform 49ers coverage. The new CSN Bay Area Studios at Levi’s® Stadium, along with hundreds of hours of 49ers programming throughout the year, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to present the most complete, entertaining and innovative coverage for the many passionate 49ers fans throughout the region.”
NBC Bay Area: NBC Bay Area, The Official Broadcast Partner of the San Francisco 49ers, will feature unique 49ers content including practice video and exclusive interviews, as well as historical video from the team’s archives. The station will also air 49ers Way and The Faithful, which can be re-broadcast on CSN Bay Area. This programming agreement further strengthens NBC Bay Area and CSN Bay Area’s existing partnership in providing the most comprehensive sports content and coverage in the market.
“We look forward to providing Bay Area viewers with first class 49ers content over the next 10 seasons,” said Richard Cerussi, president and general manager of NBC Bay Area. “NBC has a long-standing association with the NFL and we are thrilled to be the official broadcast partner of the 49ers, particularly in 2014 a partner of the new Levi’s® Stadium.”
About Levi’s® Stadium
Levi’s® Stadium will not only be the new home to the San Francisco 49ers, but it will also serve as one of the world’s best outdoor sports and entertainment venues. It was designed by HNTB and is being built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. The $1.2 billion venue will have 1.85 million square feet, seat approximately 68,500 and will feature an expected 165 luxury suites and 8,500 club seats. It was designed to be a multi-purpose facility with the flexibility to host a wide range of events, including domestic and international soccer, college football, motocross, concerts and various civic events, and will be expandable for major events such as the Super Bowl. For more information, go to http://www.levisstadium.com/.
About the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers, owned by Denise and John York, currently play in the NFC West division and have won five Super Bowl trophies including Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV and XXIX. The franchise also has six conference championships and 19 divisional championships and was the first major league professional sports team to be based in San Francisco over 60 years ago. Please visitwww.49ers.com and follow the 49ers on Facebook and Twitter @49ers.
About Comcast Corporation:
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates 30 news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About Comcast Business
Comcast Business, a unit of Comcast Cable, provides advanced communication solutions to help organizations of all sizes meet their business objectives. Through a next-generation network that is backed by 24/7 technical support, Comcast delivers Business Internet, Ethernet, TV and a full portfolio of Voice services for cost-effective, simplified communications management.
About Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of the NBC Sports Group, consist of 12 regional networks that deliver more than 2,400 live sporting events annually, along with award-winning breaking news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and original programming to more than 50 million homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Houston, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, CSS and SNY. For more information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information about NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
For more information, visit www.CSNBayArea.com and follow on Twitter @CSNAuthentic.
About NBC Bay Area
Owned by NBC Universal, NBC Bay Area/KNTV is the Bay Area’s investigative station located in the heart of Silicon Valley. The station is committed to providing continuous, in-depth journalism with unique personalities. Along with broadcasting NBC’s award-winning daytime, prime-time and late night programming, NBC Bay Area produces more than 32 hours of news programming each week. COZI TV, the station’s digital network, offers a full schedule of America’s most beloved and iconic television series, hit movies and original programming. COZI TV can be seen locally on Comcast 186, Verizon 460, and over-the-air on 11.3.
