Verizon's Super Bowl offensive: 'Fortnite' matches, Yahoo watch parties and post-game concert with Alicia Keys
Even if you aren't a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Kansas City Chiefs, you can get into the Super Bowl fun, starting Tuesday in "Fortnite."
In advance of the big game Sunday, gamers can check into a Verizon 5G Stadium within the popular video game "Fortnite" starting Monday and play four football-inspired games and find some other hidden perks.
Then on Tuesday and Friday, NFL players including Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray will join pro gamers Myth and KittyPlays on a livestream "Fortnite" competition, hosted by comedians Desus and The Kid Mero. You can watch on Twitch and on the @Verizon account on Twitter (7 p.m. ET both nights).
Streaming vs. cable: Net TV service fees may be rising, but you can still save money
It’s all in the wrist: 5 awesome (and easy) Apple Watch tips and tricks
Those attending the game at Raymond James Stadium can use Apple iPhone 12, Samsung S20 and S21 phones on all carriers to watch seven different camera angles in the NFL Ticket Holder app.
To boost wireless coverage there, Verizon has invested more than $80 million in permanent 5G deployments on site and in surrounding Tampa. "It really is the fully-fledged stadium of the future experience there," Ronan Dunne, the executive vice president and CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, told Paste BN.
5G connections deliver data faster than current networks. Verizon's 5G network can reach 230 million people in 2,700 US cities, the company says. For a coverage map go to verizon.com.
Verizon is also testing an in-stadium network of waypoints that aim to help event attendees find destinations around the stadium – including even which concession lines are shortest. The goal is to fine-tune those features for deployment in full post-COVID-19 stadiums.
Most of us won't be at the big game, but we can still connect to the tech. Fans can watch the game together and chat using the free "Watch Together" feature in the Yahoo Sports app. Within the NFL app, iPhone 12 owners across all 5G carriers view up to five of the different camera angles those at the big game can see – and get augmented reality real-time statistics.
After the game (about 11 p.m. ET), Verizon will host a concert emceed by actress Tiffany Haddish with performances by Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, Luke Bryan, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile and Jazmine Sullivan and more. The concert will be livestreamed on Yahoo, Fios and @Verizon on Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, TikTok. For more information go to Verizon.com/BigConcertSmallBiz.
The Big Concert for Small Business, produced by RocNation, is part of Verizon's multi-year commitment to support 1 million small businesses with tech to compete in the digital economy by 2030. Verizon has also committed $10 million to the nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), focusing on small business owners in historically underserved communities.
If you have a local small business you want to hold up, this week you can tag them on Twitter using #BigConcertSmallBiz and the business could get a virtual spotlight during the concert. You can also text SMALLBIZ to 20222 to make a one-time donation of $10 to LISC.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.