It can be a real pain to send texts, make calls and access the Internet from a mobile device when attending a sporting event with thousands of other smartphone-laden fans.
That’s why the NFL is doing what it can to make sure Super Bowl attendees have great connectivity at the big game this Sunday — and now that includes restricting people from streaming video of the game.
In an effort to keep bandwidth open for the 80,000-plus at MetLife Stadium, the NFL is banning live streams of the action from FOX and NFL on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks at the stadium, Ars Technica reported today.
Both FOX and the NFL are providing free streams of the Super Bowl online, but those inside the stadium Sunday will be blocked from accessing the video within both apps and mobile web browsers.
NFL CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle told Ars that the league would rather allow people to upload content like social media updates, as opposed to downloading a live stream, which takes up far greater bandwidth. At last year’s Super Bowl, the NFL allowed streaming until halfway through the game when there were connectivity issues. This season, the league is banning it from the get go.
The NFL plans to have each of its 31 stadiums equipped with its own WiFi network by 2015. Currently, 11 stadiums — including MetLife — have such networks, but a majority do not — Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, which improved wireless connection for AT&T customers last year, is one of them.
