Smartphone usage has skyrocketed at sporting events, as anyone who's attended a recent game can tell you. Look around the stands and you'll see fans checking stats, sharing pictures on social media, or just killing time between plays. While stadiums have boosted cellular and Wi-Fi infrastructure to keep fans connected during games, there's always the possibility that there won't be enough bandwidth for everyone. That's why on Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL is planning to block live streams of the game inside the stadium. Super Bowl XLVIII, between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, will be streamed by NFL.com and Fox Sports, but both of those sources will be blocked on the Wi-Fi and cellular networks at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, NFL CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle told Ars in a phone interview. The NFL.com and Fox Sports blocks will be implemented both for mobile apps and within Web browsers.
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Fans won't be allowed to stream video on their phones at the Super Bowl
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NFL.com will stream the game, but it will be blocked at MetLife Stadium
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There's a Super Bowl app, but it won't stream video
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League fears video could clog bandwidth
At last year's Super Bowl, the @placeholder stayed up even during the infamous mid-game power outage.