Dallas’ American Airlines Center has a new video board.
Representatives from the arena, the Dallas Stars, the Dallas Mavericks, and C/10 Media, the company responsible for creating the board, unveiled the new screen to the media during an official ceremony on Monday, displaying all its advanced features.
“We wanted to accomplish two things with the new board,” Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of the American Airlines Center Dave Brown told the media. “One was to take advantage of new technology that [C10 CEO] Jerry [Cifarelli Jr.] and Samsung had available for us, but we wanted to enhance the experience throughout the arena. We wanted larger screens, higher definition for the bulk of the arena.”
The new $10 million video board is the latest renovation in a year-long $20 million project designed to improve the arena that has already included brand new seats, new exterior digital signage displays, an updated roof, and other updates. The board is 30% bigger than the old one and is enhanced with features to amplify the game experience, such as screens inside the scoreboard and a 360-degree display that allows you to see video from all sides.
“I come to these games, and I walk around. Everybody wants to see things. Content is happening all around,” former Dallas Maverick Rolando Blackman explained. “Whatever they can build and really put together is going to be a special situation where it’ll keep everybody entertained. That’s exactly what you want [them] to value when they walk out of here.”
The American Airlines Center opened in July 2001 after years of planning following a request from the Stars for a larger arena. The Stars and Mavericks have called it home since then. It’s been the locale for several other high-profile events and now-defunct sports franchises, thanks to former Mayor Ron Kirk, who pushed for the arena in Dallas over different areas of the metroplex.
“This is really the house that Ron built, and we’ll always be thankful for you and your leadership at a time when we needed you to step forward,” Brown told Kirk as he unveiled the screen. “This building didn’t necessarily have to be in Dallas. It very likely could have been somewhere else but not for Ron and John Ware.”
Former Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco, who cut the ribbon at the arena’s initial opening in 2001, was also in attendance on Monday and compared the initial opening of the venue to what it has become.
“Fast forward to today; a similar type of experience,” Turco told The Dallas Express. “A lot different [when] you talk about technology, fan experience, fan engagement, and just overall clarity and technology. That’s how far it’s come. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. … Our fans are in for a real treat. I know our players are going to come to see it, but really, our games are crazy. They’re fast, they’re fun. We got amazing fans, and it’s just going to be 10 times better with this. … I just hope people watch the game a little bit.”
The new video board will debut when the Stars host the Minnesota Wild in a reason game at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday.