The athletic department will upgrade the video production capabilities for all athletic facilities with a project that also includes replacing the outdated Michigan Stadium public address system and end zone video scoreboards and improving safety infrastructure.
The $41 million project, funded entirely by athletic department gifts restricted for capital projects, was approved March 24 by the Board of Regents. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2023.
The aging technology that is the focus of this project has become increasingly difficult to maintain, with replacement parts and production equipment no longer supporting the advanced video quality now required.
The production studio controls most of all the video boards in U-M athletic facilities. It also enables much of the video content that is provided to Big Ten Network and U-M digital platforms.
Proactively replacing this equipment to address reliability, serviceability and the overall quality of experience for fans will include architectural, electrical and mechanical work to those systems.
The existing Michigan Stadium video scoreboards were installed in 2011, and the accompanying production studio was last upgraded in 2013.
The new scoreboards will be the same height as the existing boards and 33 feet wider on each side to enhance the fan experience and be significantly more energy efficient.
