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NBA's Orlando Magic scoring with digital signage

With more than 1,100 screens throughout the Amway Center, the NBA's Orlando Magic has chosen Four Winds Interactive to provide a digital signage and visual communications network to engage fans attending each home game, according to an announcement from FWI.

March 23, 2016

With more than 1,100 screens throughout the Amway Center, the NBA's Orlando Magic has chosen Four Winds Interactive to provide a digital signage and visual communications network to engage fans attending each home game, according to an announcement from FWI.

The new system is designed to allow the team to share custom, dynamic content throughout the arena, and is run from a single platform. FWI showcased the solution at the recent Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas. 

According to the announcement, the FWI solution was chosen because of its ease of use, customization capabilities and reliability, and has proven to not only enhance the fan experience, but also draw partnerships for the business side of the house.

Replacing a legacy system, the new visual communications platform from FWI proved to be simple to implement and manage, the company said. Previously, the organization had to dedicate several staff members to managing, editing and controlling the system during games. The new FWI system allows for updates that can be made in real time by fewer staff members accessing the controls on tablets no matter where they are in the arena. As a result, the organization has realized a cost savings, and the staff members operating the system have improved job satisfaction. 

FWI also said the new system offers improved stability, having decreased the failure rate of the digital display content from 20 to 30 percent, down to less than 1 percent.

"With our previous system, any last minute changes to content could cause the whole system to collapse," said David Storm, director of broadcast technology and services for the Orlando Magic. "Now, the system from FWI gives us the ability to make real-time changes during the game — for specials, etc. — with the confidence that it will work."

According to FWI, three key features have helped the Orlando Magic's sponsorship and partnership relations:

1. Moments of Exclusivity: The FWI system allows for a complete takeover of all of the screens throughout the arena with one set of content from a sponsor, ensuring that nearly all of the arena audience will see the message.
2. Synchronization: The software operating the content has also provided the ability to synchronize content from screen to screen. For example, the image of a basketball could bounce from one screen to the next, to the next — providing new fan engagement options for sponsors.
3. Reporting: By providing proof of play, length of play and impression statistics, the team is able to offer more concrete metrics to its sponsor partners.

"From behind the scenes to out in front of fans, professional sports organizations are seeing the impact a Visual Communications layer can add to their operations and marketing capabilities," said David Levin, president and CEO of Four Winds Interactive. "Together with the Orlando Magic, we have built a powerful display system, created with a focus on content strategy that has achieved an exceptional competitive advantage as a result."