The Pac-12 and Stanford "have been working since the start of football season with AT&T and Sporting Innovations to keep fans connected from their pregame tailgate until their postgame exit," according to Michael Smith of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. AT&T "is working with the school on an enhanced distributed antenna system and more complete Wi-Fi coverage on campus and in parking lots so that fans can stay connected." Pac-12 Networks President Lydia Murphy-Stephans: "The connectivity is strong, but it’s not quite complete. But it does give us an opportunity to see just how far we can go to customize content and data." Smith reports as part of that customization, Sporting Innovations, the consulting arm of Sporting KC, "created a GoStanford app that serves as a data collection source." The app "launched quietly on Aug. 30 and it’s still not widely marketed -- they want another few weeks to work out the kinks before advertising it broadly." Murphy-Stephans: "We’re trying to rethink the fan experience as a whole and understand what fans want." The GoStanford app, which "is good on Android and iOS systems, opens by giving users the chance to link a credit card to the account, or to authorize charges on the wireless bill." By taking the user info from the app and "channeling it to the customer relationship management system, the school can identify fans who might be ticket-buying prospects or potential donors" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/29 issue).
NRG DEFICIT: In Houston, Stephanie Stradley wrote most Texans fans agree that cell service at NRG Stadium "is horrible." Stradley: "In the few games I’ve experienced this season, the cell coverage is worse than it has ever been, even during the end of lightly attended preseason games. ... During the last game, the majority of my sent text messages would not send from my seats." NRG Park GM Mark Miller said of the issue, "This year the Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in the stadium has experienced increased demand over previous years. The Stadium DAS is owned, operated and maintained by the cellular carriers participating on the system. The carriers are working on improvements to the system in response to this increased demand." Stradley: "Don't expect cell coverage to get any better for fans before the end of the year" (CHRON.com, 9/26).
