Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced a $15 million investment in technology renovations coming to Capital One Arena, home to the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals. The project is privately funded and is expected to be completed by Fall 2019.
MSE owns Capital One Arena and previously dedicated $40 million to upgrades to the arena last summer. The current $15 million second phase investment will be used to add a new scoreboard, LED video boards, LED lighting throughout the arena, new concessions, and to upgrade luxury lounges.
“By transitioning to a fully digital experience at Capital One Arena, our partners will have the ability to reach fans through more experiential, measurable and targeted content,” said Jim Van Stone, President of Business Operations and COO at MSE, in a press release. “This best-in-class technology also allows our busy building to have a truly unique feel every night through both owned assets and sponsor-specific content on our digital signage networks.”
The new 360-degree video screen will feature 7,000 square feet of LED display at the arena. Another screen being built is called the SkyRing. It will measure 390 feet in diameter making it the largest display in any U.S. arena. The SkyRing will display over 9,000 square feet of LED video around the roofline of the arena bowl. Several new concessions are also being built, while Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Wizards and Capitals, expects a new sports betting themed restaurant to be installed at Capital One Arena, according to NBC Washington.
“My expectation is that there will be built a very, very high-end world-class restaurant called the Sports Book, there will be televisions showing games from all over the world and that people will be able to come in and watch games and dine and bet,” Leonsis said.
SportTechie Takeaway
Sports betting was legalized this past December in Washington, D.C., and the new upgrades coming to Capital One Arena will help turn the stadium into a premier betting and sports entertainment destination. Wizards fans already have the option of watching a betting-themed broadcast of select games on NBC Sports Washington.