It’s Time For Pro Football!
What's new for professional football in 2023? Some BIG video display installations for the Packers, Patriots and Broncos.
Justin Ochsner on 9/7/2023
Categories: Pro Sports and Colleges
While all the professional football teams are going through their final practices and preseason games, we’re going through our final checks from new installations in 2023! This year was a BIG year for Daktronics with three big-time installations. Can you match the team name with their new claim to fame?
Largest End Zone Display in professional football
Tallest End Zone Display in professional football
Highest Resolution End Zone Display in professional football
Okay, so I put them in order to make things easier. Now let’s dig into each project a little bit.
New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots for football and New England Revolution for soccer, now has the largest end zone display in professional football. Since the halo displays technically have roofs over them (even if retractable), this new end zone display is the largest outdoor display in sports. Here’s how they currently stack up:
The huge end zone display at Gillette Stadium measures 60 feet high by 370 feet wide, totaling 22,200 square feet! And it’s only one of the 14 displays we installed at the stadium in 2023, bringing the stadium’s total to 47 Daktronics displays combining for 48,500 square feet.
There are now new north end ribbon, field level and “Ring of Honor” displays at the stadium. A new TicketMaster gate display, two indoor displays, an elevator display and three narrow pixel pitch displays were also installed this year.
One of the more interesting additions is the new “Gillette Stadium” channel lettering above the north end zone displays. This brings light to the branding of the stadium and can be coordinated with any aspect of the live events happening at the venue.
Another trend that we’re seeing across the league, indoor displays with narrow pixel pitch – that means pixels are very close together for up-close viewing. Gillette Stadium added three of these displays in 2023, all featuring 2.5-millimeter pixel spacing. Two measure 18 feet high by 64 feet wide and one measuring 9 feet high by 16 feet wide in atriums and near an elevator in premium seating areas.
In Their Words
“Daktronics has been providing our LED displays and have been a tremendous partner since we opened Gillette Stadium in 2002,” said Gillette Stadium Chief Operating Officer Jim Nolan. “Their products provide the highest resolution in the industry and the brilliant colors bring our fans closer to the action. This year’s installations, especially the addition of the nation’s largest outdoor videoboard at a sports venue, will greatly enhance the day of game experience for our fans.”
Denver Broncos
Heading to the Rocky Mountain region, the Denver Broncos added the tallest main end zone video display in football to Empower Field at Mile High. How tall? Only 72 feet! This allows for the largest 16:9 replays in the league. It measures 225 feet wide for a total of 16,200 square feet, which is 77% larger than the previous display.
In the opposite end zone, Broncos fans can see the action and information on two displays, one in each corner of the end zone. These displays are 58% larger than the previous displays and turn the static advertising that was there in the past into digital space for all the stats and animations football fans crave. Of course, the sponsorship opportunities will still be there for maximum ROI and sharing partner messages to fans at the stadium.
Much like at Gillette Stadium, the Broncos added 11 narrow pixel pitch displays this year. Eight displays with 2.5-millimeter pixel spacing, two with 1.5-millimeter spacing and one with 1.9-millimeter spacing. The latter is used as a forced-perspective display in their concourse to deliver content that appears to be three-dimensional and really catches viewers’ attention.
In Their Words
“This new scoreboard powered by Daktronics is an investment into our overall fan and game-day experience at Empower Field at Mile High,” said Broncos Chief Marketing Officer Hailey Sullivan. “We are excited to bring our game-day entertainment to new heights through these new displays.”
Green Bay Packers
Finally, we find ourselves at historic Lambeau Field for the Green Bay Packers installation that includes both end zones receiving new displays featuring 6-millimeter pixel spacing for the highest-resolution end zone displays in professional football. Each display measures 48 feet high by 220 feet wide totalling more than 10,500 square feet each.
Two auxiliary displays were installed on the sides of the main bowl to show additional game information and statistics to keep fans informed of everything surrounding the football game on the field.
Taking the indoor narrow pixel pitch trend to the next level, the Packers have installed 60 concourse displays, all featuring 2.9-millimeter pixel spacing. These are used to keep fans immersed in the football action while away from their seats so they never miss any part of the game.
In Their Words
“We’re pleased to work with Daktronics on our new video boards and Lambeau Field concourse displays, which will enhance the game-day experience,” Kregg Shilbauer, director of digital, broadcast & game presentation for the Green Bay Packers. “The new scoreboards will be the first and only 6mm LED video scoreboards in the NFL, and we feel we’re setting the standard in video board clarity and image quality. We’re looking forward to our amplified fan involvement and engagement in the bowl, as well as with the concourse displays.”
BONUS: Cincinnati Bengals
One additional project we wanted to share with you is the new ribbon project at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. What does this include? A total of approximately 8,000 linear feet of displays are mounted to the seating fascia to literally surround fans in LED. These help show game information and statistics while also elevating the overall experience with coordinated graphics and animations for fans to enjoy.
Well, there you have it, some of our biggest projects for 2023! Which stadium are you hoping to experience firsthand this season? We would recommend them all!