Networking vendor Extreme Networks announced today a multi-year deal making it “an official Wi-Fi partner” of the National Hockey League, as well as a deal to deploy a new Wi-Fi 6 network at Old Trafford, the home stadium for the Manchester United team.
Though Extreme did not announce any signed deals to provide Wi-Fi gear to any NHL arenas, the arrangement is most likely similar to deals Extreme has with Major League Baseball and the National Football League, where teams that choose Extreme gear for their stadiums get preferred pricing. In its press announcement Extreme said it is now “the official Wi-Fi analytics provider and an official Wi-Fi partner of the NHL,” and did say that it will deploy its ExtremeAnalytics platform “across select NHL arenas,” but did not name any specific venues. According to Extreme the deal is signed through 2026.
In the deal with Man U, Extreme has signed on as the club’s official Wi-Fi and analytics provider. According to a press release, Extreme said it would start deploying a Wi-Fi 6 network at the 74,140-seat Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, England, later this year.
NHL arena deals may be harder to sign
Unlike its deal signed early in 2021 with MLB — under which 16 teams agreed to deploy Extreme Wi-Fi gear — the NHL deal may prove harder for Extreme to win contracts, for the simple reason that not all of the NHL arenas are owned or operated exclusively by the NHL tenant. However, with many existing NHL/NBA arenas due for upgrades to Wi-Fi 6, the deal could give Extreme an edge over other providers. Extreme’s longtime NFL deal, which was renewed this past fall through 2024, has resulted in Extreme Wi-Fi gear being used in 12 of the 30 league stadiums.
The newest NFL stadiums, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, both used Cisco Wi-Fi 6 gear for their Wi-Fi network deployments. So far, existing Extreme deployments at stadiums used by the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans have all gotten Wi-Fi 6 network upgrades, according to Extreme.
Though Extreme executives were not available for comment before the announcement, the NHL deal is likely similar to the MLB and NFL deals, contracts that do not require venues to use Extreme equipment; it simply provides teams with a league-approved deal that most likely has economics that are potentially more favorable, given that Extreme is both a supplier and a sponsor to both leagues. The wording of the deal (“An” official partner, as opposed to “The” official partner) also seems to possibly signify that the NHL isn’t putting all its Wi-Fi partner eggs in one basket.
Extreme has gotten big visibility out of its NFL deal — one which allows Extreme to control the announcement of network-usage results from the Super Bowl each year, even if Extreme gear is not used at the venue. Extreme used its MLB deal to similarly publicize its official Wi-Fi status with the league at this year’s MLB All-Star Game, even though Coors Field, home of the event, recently updated its Wi-Fi network with Cisco gear. To that end, Extreme also announced today that its analytics will be used at the upcoming Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, even though that venue uses Cisco gear for its Wi-Fi network.
