Arkansas just signed up for a new 10-year multimedia rights deal with IMG College for a whopping $137 million, and the fans attending Razorback games are expected to reap the benefits in the future.
According to a report from Sports Business Journal, the new multimedia rights deal with IMG College -- which handles multimedia rights distribution for all Arkansas sports coverage on TV and radio -- will help Arkansas fund a stadium-wide networking upgrade to a handful of Arkansas athletics venues, including Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The upgrades will focus updating the wi-fi reception to allow for better connectivity for fans using their phones while attending games.
Now, if you are an Arkansas fan and feel as though you have heard about wireless upgrades before, that’s because you have. Arkansas announced plans to upgrade the wireless network status inside the stadium in 2014 as well. But anything upgraded in 2014 is already out of date by 2017 standards. It’s the same for mobile devices as it is the computer I am typing this one. Staying ahead of the curve in areas like this can be difficult, if not costly.
But with a brand spanking new multi media rights deal bringing in a dump truck of cash for Arkansas, the funds will be there to provide for the cost of upgrading the network inside the football stadium. So bring your phone, and your iPad, and whatever else you want to hook up to the network when you attend an Arkansas game. You might get improved service.