Sky Bet introduces iBeacon technology to Championship football

ne operator Sky Bet, sponsor of the Football League, is bringing new iBeacon technology to the home stadiums of two Championship football clubs.

Customers attending matches at Leeds United’s Elland Road and Rotherham United’s New York Stadium will be able to receive push notifications based on their location on mobile devices from now on.

By having Bluetooth low energy turned on, Leeds and Rotherham fans will be the first in the country to benefit from the new technology, and will be able to pick up messages transmitted at various points across both stadiums via the Sky Bet mobile app.

The technology, produced by Apple, is a new class of transmitter which can enable smartphones and other devices to perform certain actions when in close proximity to an iBeacon.

Andrew Walton, head of Sky Bet core products, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to use our unique title sponsorship with the Football League and its clubs to improve the fan experience at football grounds across the country. The feedback from both clubs has been encouraging and, although this technology is still very new, the potential is enormous.”

The technology was first put to use in the match between the two clubs earlier this month, and it could soon be expanded to stadiums around the country.