The Minnesota Vikings have signed CenturyLink as their newest founding partner, a comprehensive technology deal covering U.S. Bank Stadium and the team’s proposed practice complex in the Twin Cities.
Under the 10-year agreement, valued in the seven figures annually, CenturyLink will supply stadium infrastructure for wireless communications. It includes a marketing component tied to digital signs inside the facility and outside the building on the three-acre Medtronic Plaza.
In its role as a technology provider, CenturyLink serves as the integrator for Cisco’s StadiumVision, an IPTV network, in addition to 1,300 Wi-Fi access points and content distribution to 2,000 4K televisions.
The content will run through Prism TV, an interactive, fiber-based system owned by CenturyLink that recently entered the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Its competitors include Time Warner and Comcast, said Rich Karlis, CenturyLink’s director of corporate sponsorships.
U.S. Bank Stadium will be among the first sports venues to deploy Prism TV. CenturyLink is in discussions with three other properties to install the technology, Karlis said.
“For us, it’s about keeping our brand top of mind with our customers,” said Karlis, a former kicker for the Vikings, Broncos and Lions. “It’s not something you buy every day. It’s a matter of educating people to what we have to offer.”
CenturyLink’s tech package extends to a data analytics platform tied to the Vikings’ mobile application. It will track fan behavior to help the team improve the game-day experience and its operations in general, said John Penhollow, Vikings vice president of corporate and technology partnerships.
The deal comes after two years of talks between the Vikings and CenturyLink over stadium technology. CenturyLink is a founding partner at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, and it holds naming rights for the team’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla. It was that relationship that helped the company get its foot in the door with the Vikings, Karlis said.
The infrastructure piece came first. CenturyLink was awarded the job to provide communication services through a public bid process conducted by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the stadium’s owner. The marketing agreement came later, Penhollow said.
CenturyLink has similar deals with the Seattle Seahawks, where it holds stadium naming rights, and the Denver Broncos. The firm has NBA deals with the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic.
In addition to the Twins, CenturyLink has sponsorships with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
At U.S. Bank Stadium, CenturyLink joins Hy-Vee, Land O’ Lakes and MillerCoors as founding partners.
