M&T BANK STADIUM ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
Three-Year, $120 Million Self-Funded Investment Upgrades Complete
The Baltimore Ravens have completed a three-year, $120 million self-funded investment project that enhances the fan experience at M&T Bank Stadium. Demonstrating a continued commitment to create an exceptional gameday atmosphere, the improvements include 4K ultra-high definition video displays, escalators and elevators to the upper deck, a new sound system, upgraded kitchen facilities, a redesigned club level and updated suites.
(All of these improvements will be showcased this Saturday, July 27, when the Ravens hold a free 6 p.m. training camp practice at M&T Bank Stadium. A gigantic fireworks display and laser/lights show will take place immediately following practice.)
“One of our primary goals is to create extraordinary experiences for fans every time they visit M&T Bank Stadium,” stated Ravens president Dick Cass. “We’re proud of the work that’s been done to ensure that we consistently produce one the NFL’s best gameday atmospheres.”
The stadium, which originally cost $220 million to build, opened in 1998. Since then, the Ravens have spent approximately $220 million on overall enhancements, which also included a $45 million investment from 2013-15 to install Wi-Fi capabilities, advanced LED video displays, redesigned concession stands and upgraded concourses.
“The improvements we’ve made over the last several years keep our stadium on the cutting edge of technology, convenience, entertainment and design,” added Ravens senior vice president of stadium operations Roy Sommerhof. “We will always strive to provide fans a top-notch experience at Ravens home games.”
In 2018, the Ravens continued to receive high marks for their gameday experience at M&T Bank Stadium. These acknowledgements include a No. 2 overall fan experience ranking from Stadium Journey. (In 2016, Baltimore’s gameday experience was ranked No. 1 by Stadium Journey.)
Additionally, in 2018, in the NFL’s “Voice of the Fan Polls,” the Ravens earned the following gameday experience rankings among all 32 teams:
- Food & Beverage – No. 2
- Stadium Technology – No. 2
- Video Board Content – No. 2
- External Pre-Game Content (RavensWalk) – No. 2
- Instant Replay/Highlights – No. 4
- In-Game Stats – No. 5
Below are the enhancements that took place over the past three years (2017-19) as part of the $120 million project:
PHASE ONE
Phase One of the three-year project was completed prior to the 2017 season and was highlighted by two dramatic, 4K ultra-high definition video displays, which doubled the width of the stadium’s previous standard HD boards. The boards, measuring approximately 200 feet wide and 36 feet high, equal the highest resolution and clearest picture of any stadium video display in the U.S.
The Ravens expanded the audio/video control room and installed 4K cameras, lenses and control equipment. An investment was also made in 11 manned cameras and additional robotic cameras, which provide fans with more angles of live action, statistics and replays than ever before.
New LED ribbon displays were also installed around the seating bowl’s suite level. In total, the Ravens installed more than 28,000 square feet of video displays.
PHASES TWO & THREE
Phases Two and Three of the M&T Bank Stadium enhancements project took place in 2018 and continued into the spring/summer of 2019. These improvements include the following:
Escalators & Elevators:
Escalators and elevators to the 500 level were installed to improve crowd flow and ensure convenience for fans accessing seats in the stadium’s upper level. (The first escalator to the upper concourse opened in November of the 2018 season.)
“Corner Notch” Suite/Party Areas & Video Boards:
New suites/party areas were built into each open notch of the stadium’s upper bowl. Large 4K ultra-high definition video boards, measuring approximately 33 feet wide and 44 feet high, were installed atop each of the four suites, providing fans with additional in-game content, NFL highlights/scores, statistics and fantasy information.
Club Level:
All concessions stands and bar/lounge areas on the stadium’s club level received upgrades in 2019. Developments enhanced the area’s general design/comfort, audio/visual capabilities (which include a new sound system, four new large LED video boards and over 220 new televisions), quality of service and food options.
Improved Kitchen Facilities:
The stadium underwent kitchen renovations in 2018 and 2019 to include new equipment that improves the quality of food and provides more options at concessions stands throughout the venue.
Sound System:
A new sound system in the seating bowl was installed prior to the start of the 2018 season.
ADDITIONAL INFO ON VIDEO SCREENS, WIFI & NEW LED SPORTS LIGHTS
- In 2019, in a project funded by the Maryland Stadium Authority, the stadium was furnished with new LED Sports Lights. These lights provide more energy efficiency and the capability to instantly switch on and off. In all, Musco Sports Lighting installed 416 new light fixtures atop the stadium that produce a brighter light with less glare and the ability to create dynamic light shows.
- Prior to the 2015 season, the Ravens invested $5 million in a project to install Wi-Fi access for fans at M&T Bank Stadium. From 2015-17, the throughput capability was 2 gigabits per second (GBPS). In 2018, the stadium boasted an upgraded throughput capability of 10 GBPS, or an increase in capability that is five times greater than the previous three seasons.
- In 2017, the Ravens made an investment to create a more immersive gameday experience for their fans. Designed and created by Prismview, a Samsung Electronics Company, the updated and enhanced RavensVision ultra-HD 4K video screens each measure 36 feet high and 201 feet wide. Each display is the equivalent of a 2,448-inch flat panel television. It would take over 1,000 40-inch flat screen TVs to equal one of these giant LED (light emitting diode) displays. Each display has extreme contrast face plastics combined with over 6 million individual LED pixels providing brilliant images in bright sunlight and during night events.
- The two giant screens are made up of modular LED panels – 13 inches wide by 6.5 inches tall. Each of these premium LED modules contain 512 pixels, spaced only 10mm – 0.39” – apart. Due to the massive size of these displays, these panels were assembled from 50 sections. Each display weighs in at an amazing 76,500 pounds.
- In a historic launch of in-venue video technology, in 2017, the Ravens became the first team to have a permanently-installed SkyCam. Typically reserved for the NFL’s largest broadcasts, including the Super Bowl and other primetime games, SkyCam delivers its immersive and signature “Quarterback View” for every home game. Its nearly invisible support cables can withstand over 800 pounds each, while the camera system can reach speeds over 25 miles per hour.
- In addition to the main video boards, in 2018, the Ravens installed four corner displays to add to the fan viewing experience. Each of the four LED video displays measures over 34 feet wide by 44 feet high – a bonus of over 6,081 square feet of screens.
- In cooperation with WJHW, VPC and the Ravens’ production team, BeckTV, a leader in broadcast design and installation, created a leading-edge production facility for M&T Bank Stadium. The new control room includes state-of-the-art systems for 4K/HD replay, graphics and cameras to help produce world-class programming. In addition to 11 manned cameras, the Ravens have 20 robotic cameras contributing to the gameday production.
- The 2017 addition of four LED ribbon boards on the Club Level and Suite Level fascia further elevate the in-stadium atmosphere. These dynamic displays measure a combined 2,373 feet with almost three times the pixel resolution over the previous ribbon boards, providing amazing clarity throughout the stadium.
- With over 28,000 square feet of total display area, the RavensVison displays, corner displays and LED ribbons combine more than 20 million pixels to create one of the NFL’s most captivating experiences.
- Two high definition video boards measuring 8 feet high and 30 feet wide were installed at the concourse entrances of Gates A and D in 2013. (Approximately 60 percent of fans enter Gate A for all stadium events.)
- Additionally, in 2015, the Ravens installed the capability to show 360-degree replays with a newly-implemented and upgraded Intel freeD system. By using 38 cameras placed around the stadium, fans can view angles of action previously impossible to see. The Ravens were the first NFL franchise capable of providing 360-degree shots, and the technology won a Sports Emmy Award for best in Technical Achievement from Super Bowl 50.
