SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Extreme
Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR), the official Wi-Fi Provider of the
National Football League (NFL), today announced year-over-year
Wi-Fi usage metrics from a sample of its NFL customers. As the
Official Wi-Fi Provider of the NFL, Extreme has delivered
high-density Wi-Fi solutions to 10 NFL teams and insightful Wi-Fi
analytics to an additional 12 NFL teams, including the previous
four Super Bowls. Over the past year, Extreme's solutions have
positively impacted fan engagement and enabled an enhanced game day
experience at several NFL stadiums, including Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, Seattle's CenturyLink Field, New England's
Gillette Stadium and Buffalo's New Era Field.
By optimizing the game day experience for fans through improved
Wi-Fi coverage, reliability and speed, NFL teams deploying Extreme
solutions are enhancing their game day operations and improving
network visibility. ExtremeWireless™ offers greater Wi-Fi bandwidth
and performance, encouraging fans to engage with the game on social
media and via the teams' mobile applications. Meanwhile,
ExtremeAnalytics™ and ExtremeManagement™ work in tandem to track
Wi-Fi usage to provide administrators with insights into fans'
interests and enable them to further personalize the game day
experience.
In addition to improved Wi-Fi metrics at M&T Bank Stadium,
CenturyLink Field, Gillette Stadium and New Era Field, overall
Wi-Fi service at NFL stadiums has improved by five percent from
2015 to 2016, according to the NFL's Voice of the Fan Survey. This
survey also found that since the NFL's Wi-Fi standard was
implemented in 2012, overall technology satisfaction has improved
by 15 percent.
Customer Highlights:
- Baltimore Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium – Based on
data from six games during the 2015 season, 41.8 percent of
attendees connected to the Wi-Fi on average. During the 2016
season, that number rose significantly to 56.1 percent of
attendees. Additionally, from 2015 to 2016, the number of
concurrent Wi-Fi users also increased by 30 percent.
- Seattle Seahawks' CenturyLink Field – After
deploying ExtremeWireless in 2014, the Seahawks were able to
provide fans with additional services such as in-seat food
ordering, live video streaming via the team's mobile application,
and improved communication with their fans on game days.
Additionally, from 2015 to 2016, the number of unique Wi-Fi users
rose 21 percent, concurrent Wi-Fi users rose 32 percent and the
peak throughput rose a drastic 115 percent.
- New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium – Fan engagement
at Gillette Stadium has been increasing steadily since the Patriots
first deployed Wi-Fi in 2012. From 2015 to 2016, the number of
unique and concurrent Wi-Fi users rose by an impressive 78 percent
and 56 percent, respectively. Data volume also increased by 42
percent while peak throughput rose by a staggering 265 percent. If
these numbers were not impressive enough, the 2017 season at
Gillette Stadium kicked off with the highest recorded Wi-Fi usage
during a regular season game, and overall one of the most engaged
regular season games the NFL has seen.
- Buffalo Bills' New Era Field – Looking back on the 2016
season, of the 42,118 unique fans connected to Wi-Fi last season,
the Bills were able to add 30,771 users' emails to its user
database, further supporting its mission for increased fan
engagement both at home games and outside of them. As of week one
during the 2017 NFL season, 33,972 unique devices were connected to
the Wi-Fi, over half of the fans in attendance at the game. This
same week, the Bills also secured an impressive new record: 3.35 TB
of data throughput.
Executive Perspectives
John Brams, Director,
Hospitality, Sports and Entertainment, Extreme Networks,
Inc.
"The increase in fan engagement across Extreme
Networks' stadiums is a testament to how our wired and wireless
technology positively impacts the game day experience for fans and
the bottom line for customers," said John
Brams, director of sports and entertainment at Extreme
Networks. "Our wireless and analytics have been proven to enhance
the in-stadium experience – from instant replays to shorter lines
to Game Day app usage. With fans' Wi-Fi adoption on the rise, we're
dedicated to a continued partnership with the NFL and each
individual club so that together we can drive the next wave of
technology in the League."
Roy Sommerhof, Vice President
of Stadium Operations, Baltimore Ravens
"We continually look
for avenues to enrich the game day atmosphere at M&T Bank
Stadium. Partnering with Extreme Networks brings an added dimension
for our fans while attending an already thrilling event. During the
2016 season, the Ravens were ranked #5 in the NFL for fans'
satisfaction with its technology, largely in part to Extreme's
Wi-Fi solutions. Connecting our fans with Extreme's Wi-Fi will help
us to continue to produce the NFL's best in-stadium
experience."
Chip Suttles, Vice President
of Technology, Seattle Seahawks
"Based on feedback from our
fans, we identify areas of opportunity to enhance the game day
experience at CenturyLink Field each season. For example, our fans
asked for a premier Wi-Fi experience and we were able to provide it
with the ExtremeWireless solution. With reliable service and open
communication between our IT staff and the Extreme Networks support
team, Extreme has enabled us to see continued Wi-Fi growth and
utilization by our fans, which has improved fan satisfaction."
Fred Kirsch, Vice President of
Content, New England Patriots
"Our partnership with Extreme
Networks has resulted in continual fan engagement improvements at
Gillette Stadium. By utilizing Extreme's solutions and unparalleled
support, we have increased visibility into our network, which has
eased the burden of managing the network for our IT staff.
Additionally, through the high-density Wi-Fi Extreme provides for
the stadium, fans are able to gain access to exclusive content and
engage across social media platforms."
Dave Wheat, Chief
Administrative Officer, Buffalo Bills
"Engaging fans is a
business imperative for the Bills and through Extreme Networks'
wireless solutions, we have been able to do so each year. The
amount of data passing over the network has increased drastically,
and Extreme's solutions have easily scaled to meet this need. With
quality Wi-Fi and support from Extreme, we're able to continue
increasing fan engagement both during games and after them."
Additional Resources
- ExtremeWireless Product Page
- ExtremeSwitching Product Page
- ExtremeControl Product Page
- Extreme Analytics Product Page
- ExtremeManagement Product Page
- Extreme's work with the Baltimore Ravens
- Extreme's work with the Seattle Seahawks
- Extreme's work with the New England Patriots
- Connect with Extreme
via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+
Forward Looking Statements
Except for the historical
information contained herein, the statements in this release,
including those concerning Extreme's partnership with the Baltimore
Ravens, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and
the National Football League (NFL), its business outlook,
acquisitions, future financial and operating results, and overall
future prospects are "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements
speak only as of the date of this release. Actual results or events
could differ materially from those anticipated in those
forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors,
including: Extreme's ability to successfully close on and integrate
the Brocade networking business into the current Extreme business;
failure to achieve targeted revenues and forecasted demand from end
customers; a highly competitive business environment for network
switching equipment; the possibility that Extreme might experience
delays in the development or introduction of new technology and
products; customer response to Extreme's new technology and
products; and a dependency on third parties for certain components
and for the manufacturing of Extreme products.
More information about potential factors that could affect
Extreme's business and financial results is included in Extreme's
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,
including, without limitation, under the captions: "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations," and "Risk Factors." Except as required under the
U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Extreme Networks disclaims
any obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the
date of this release, whether as a result of new information,
future events, developments, changes in assumptions or
otherwise.
About Extreme Networks
Extreme Networks,
Inc. (EXTR) delivers software-driven networking solutions that
help IT departments everywhere deliver the ultimate business
outcome: stronger connections with customers, partners and
employees. Wired to wireless, desktop to data center, on premise or
through the cloud, we go to extreme measures for our customers in
more than 80 countries, delivering 100% insourced call-in technical
support to organizations large and small, including some of the
world's leading names in business, hospitality, retail,
transportation and logistics, education, government, healthcare and
manufacturing. Founded in 1996, Extreme is headquartered
in San Jose, California. For
more information, visit Extreme's website or call
1-888-257-3000.
Extreme Networks, ExtremeWireless, ExtremeManagement,
ExtremeAnalytics, and the Extreme Networks logo are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Extreme Networks,
Inc. in the United States and/or other
countries. Other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
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SOURCE Extreme Networks, Inc.