Technology

Tech Stack: NASCAR, Manchester City and more

Featured image credit: NASCAR

Featured image credit: NASCAR

NASCAR has partnered with UK-based metaverse studio Karta to launch a new racing experience on the Fortnite video game.

The experience, which will be accessible through the Rocket Racing section of Fortnite, launches with a Chicago Street Course map, styled on the real-life NASCAR Chicago Street Race taking place on Sunday. Players will be able to navigate multiple routes and avoid obstacles in multiplayer races or solo time trials.

The Chicago map will mark the start of a long-term racing experience for players, with plans to add more virtual recreations on the platform.

Piing has agreed a deal to become the official crowd games supplier of Premier League club Manchester City.

The deal will introduce a mass-participation gaming experience to crowds at the Etihad Stadium on match days. Piing games were played on the big screens and in the Blue Carpet area of the stadium last season, and City has now made the games an official element of the club’s match-day entertainment.

The multi-year deal will include pre-match and half-time games at the Etihad Stadium and Joie Stadium, home of City’s women’s team. Big-screen games will include Pen-Kick and Quiiz, while fans will also be able to play games in fan zones, hospitality areas and the Blue Carpet area.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Liverpool has announced Swedish garden products manufacturer Husqvarna as its official groundskeeping partner.

The multi-year deal will see Husqvarna’s equipment and solutions become more deeply integrated into Liverpool’s groundskeeping teams’ daily routines and pitch upkeep. Liverpool has been using the company’s robotic mowers since 2021 and the two parties have now signed an official agreement.

The Calgary Flames NHL team has announced plans to introduce a new centrehung scoreboard at the Scotiabank Saddledome as part of an agreement with its broadcast partner Sportsnet.

The scoreboard will be fitted in time for the 2024-25 season and will feature four 3.9mm video displays, each measuring 30 feet wide by 18 feet high. The Sportsnet Scoreboard also includes an upper LED halo ring with a 40-foot circumference to showcase partnership and fan experience elements.

Rogers Communication claimed a first on Monday as it successfully trialled 5G cloud-radio access network (cloud RAN) technology with its network partner Ericsson as the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball.

The game at Rogers Centre marked the first time the technology had been deployed over a commercial network at a live event in Canada. The technology builds on Rogers’ national standalone 5G core network, which Rogers was first to launch in 2021.

Xtract One Technologies has announced that its SmartGateway solution has been selected to protect all entrances at the Florida Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena, Baptist Health IcePlex, and FTL War Memorial.

SmartGateway will be deployed over the course of the next year at all entrances to increase security at upcoming events at these venues.

Check out our story from last week for more information.

Etherlive and Spindlewood, which deliver solutions to event operators including IMG, AEG and Glastonbury, have rebranded to PMY Group.

The rebranding reflects the ongoing integration of the businesses into PMY, an events and infrastructure technology provider.

Head to our sister site TheTicketingBusiness.com for full details.

The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee has selected Juniper Networks as its official secure IP network supplier.

The collaboration will see the American company guarantee the protection of digital data and information at venues during the Games.

Read our story from yesterday for more information.