Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. announced a multi-year partnership deal with networking and security technology provider Cisco, making Cisco an “official partner” of Madison Square Garden.
While Cisco technology is already in use at one of the world’s most famous arena venues, the new partnership deal is another big win for Cisco’s sports and entertainment business, which earlier this year announced sponsor/partner deals with six NFL teams.
According to the press release, Madison Square Garden already uses Cisco’s Catalyst and Nexus switches, as well as security software and Wi-Fi devices. Though exact terms of the deal and what it might mean for future MSG deployments were not specified, the busy nature of the venue seems tailor-made for Cisco’s newest Wi-Fi offering, the hyper-directional 9179F antenna.
In addition to being the home stadium for the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden regularly ranks at the top of the list of busiest arena venues with all the other acts seeking a stage at the iconic stadium in midtown Manhattan.
“Cisco’s expertise in building high-performance network infrastructure enables us to provide seamless connectivity for artists and fans alike,” said Doug Jossem, EVP of Global Sports & Entertainment Partnerships, MSG Entertainment, in a prepared statement. “We’re proud to expand our relationship with Cisco and welcome them to the MSG Entertainment family as an Official Partner.”
“Madison Square Garden is one of the world’s most iconic venues, and we’re proud to deliver the networking infrastructure that helps power its network technology operation,” said Rob McQueen, Vice President of Global Sponsorships at Cisco, in a prepared statement. “Through our new partnership, we look forward to exploring opportunities to further integrate Cisco technology across the venue’s digital footprint.”
