Latest Technologies and Arena Sports Entertainment: A Heavenly Combination for Delightful Fan Experience

Ryan Gonzales, Senior Director and Producer of Broadcast Services, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment

When you walk into an arena, you are surrounded by sports, branding, and LED boards. In arena sports, we break down old barriers and push content in several new and innovative ways. There is a constant willingness to experiment with new platforms and products. Video content is being played on basketball courts, sheets of ice, and huge multi-screen video boards. There truly are no boundaries when it comes to delivering vast content in the sports and entertainment industry.

Every year we ask ourselves a few questions: How do we make our content engaging to viewers? How do you make the viewer experience different from what they experience at home? How do we separate and elevate ourselves from other sports markets?

I believe the best way to engage viewers is to make LED screens dynamic. We no longer need to play content back in a rectangle frame. There is nothing more dynamic than using LED to your full advantage. Like a conductor in an orchestra pit, design your video board show to allow each board to play during different parts of a sequence, to help enhance sponsors, team marketing, and team introduction videos and make them more engaging. The ability to run a show like this requires the right tools and technologies to have at your disposal.

 The use of the ever-evolving realm of technology in arena sports entertainment continues to grow to be more significant to the overall fan experience. As certain technologies have continued to develop, the direct impact they have on that experience has only become more important. The only thing stopping production crews and in-game directors is their own creativity.

The Ross Xpression is a game-changer; if you dream about it, the Xpression can do it. The Xpression can play on any size board while working in tandem with other boards. Now you can play games, animate statistics, and content can exist anyway you decide to structure your video board. The Xpression takes any and all control rooms’ graphics and video playback to the next level.

The most substantial advantage in arena sports is the opportunity to engage fans across multiple platforms with immersive content distributed on screens coordinated throughout the venue. Not only do we allow fans to cheer on their team from within a live sports environment, we also provide a show complete with social channel integration, multiple video boards with game information, LEDs, and even projection systems.

There are so many different opportunities for new technologies and content platforms in an arena environment. Interactive gaming through the social platforms to the video board has become a big hit. As the social integration trend continues to grow, and the implementation and activation continues to develop, I only see these products becoming more of a mainstay in arena entertainment.

"The use of the ever-evolving realm of technology in arena sports entertainment continues to grow to be more significant to the overall fan experience"

The opportunities are endless. Teams are taking advantage of technology and dynamic, multi-platform activations to engage fans and increase the overall entertainment value of the show productions. I encourage everyone to visit their nearest arena or stadium and look at the potential for these new products. Explore ways to differentiate your content and distribution platforms from the other teams in your market, and within your league. Engage creativity and technology to make the in-arena experience feel your own. These everevolving potentials to expand and grow, which allow people in the sports and entertainment industry to always have a pioneer spirit and a willingness to push boundaries.