Tampa Bay Rays release first renderings of new ballpark
The Tampa Bay Rays have released the first renderings of their proposed ballpark and mixed-use district on the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College.
The images, depicting the exterior of the stadium as well as a “Champions Quarter” neighbourhood and a reimagined Hillsborough College building, offer what the club called an “early look at a vision for the site” that “will continue to evolve based on further study of the site and ballpark design concepts, as well as input from local leaders and residents.”
On Jan. 20, the Hillsborough College Board of Trustees approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Rays to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus -- located across the street from Raymond James Stadium and adjacent to George M. Steinbrenner Field -- as part of a new ballpark district.
On Tuesday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced their support for the project, with both stating their belief that “baseball belongs in Tampa Bay.” And the Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously to begin negotiations with the Rays regarding ballpark funding.
Thursday was the next step in the process, with the Rays now giving a glimpse of what they have in mind for a new ballpark and the surrounding development.
"I’m incredibly grateful for what our organization and the Tampa community have accomplished in just over 100 days since acquiring the team, and of the progress we are making together toward a forever home for the Rays and our loyal fans," Rays managing partner Patrick Zalupski said in a statement. “Hillsborough County’s unanimous vote is a significant milestone and a clear signal that Tampa is serious about keeping Major League Baseball in this region and transforming Tampa Bay for generations to come.”
Since assuming control of the club last September, Rays ownership has said they plan to have a new ballpark ready for the beginning of the 2029 season. The team has three more seasons remaining on its use agreement at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
According to the Rays, the new ballpark will have an estimated capacity of 31,000, which would be the lowest for any permanent home stadium in the Majors. The club says the ballpark would offer diverse seating, celebration areas and year-round event spaces.
The Rays on Thursday also unveiled a new website, NewBallpark.RaysBaseball.com, with more information about the project and the opportunity to secure early access seating for a $19.98 deposit.
The Rays are planning a series of community engagement sessions across Hillsborough County in the coming weeks alongside the college and local officials. The club announced that details on those sessions will be announced soon, but they are designed to give fans, students, faculty, residents and local leaders an opportunity to review their plans, ask questions and provide feedback.
“We are moving into the next phase of this process with excellent momentum, thanks to the outstanding support of community leaders and our staff and partners here at the Tampa Bay Rays,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said in a statement. “We’re proud to share our bold and dynamic vision for the ballpark, and believe strongly in its ability to benefit the team and our fans, Hillsborough College, the surrounding neighborhoods and the entire region.
“Our community can be assured, however, that we want the ballpark and district design to reflect the voices of the people who live, work, study, and operate businesses here. In that spirit, we look forward to meeting and listening to as many people from across Tampa Bay as we can in the weeks ahead.”
Wellington Regional Stadium secures new naming rights partner
Hnry has announced that it will become the naming rights sponsor for Wellington Regional Stadium. As of 1st March 2026, it’ll officially become known as “Hnry Stadium”.
The New Zealand based tax firm struck up a five-year partnership agreement with the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust, allowing it to champion an incredible venue and back the city it calls home.
Wellington Regional Stadium Trust recently celebrated 25 years of operating and maintaining the Stadium, and venue CEO Warrick Dent is excited to welcome Hnry as the naming rights sponsor.
“Having a Wellington-born-and-bred business as our naming rights sponsor aligns very well with our strategic purpose of ‘providing unforgettable experiences that connect our communities’. Given how that parallels Hnry’s own goals, we see this partnership becoming incredibly successful.
“In the past 25 years, we have welcomed more than 12 million patrons through our gates. That level of support reflects the role the Stadium plays in Wellington’s cultural, sporting and community life. We work hard to consistently deliver experiences that bring people together, and we look forward to the next era working with Hnry to amplify our business even further,” he says.
“We see the stadium being a space that our customers – and Wellingtonians – feel deeply connected to,” says Hnry Co-Founder and CEO James Fuller. “We don’t like to take ourselves too seriously as a brand, so people can expect a bit of fun when visiting Hnry Stadium.”
Populous offer sneak peak inside new Christchurch stadium
Stadium design experts Populous have offered a sneak peek at Christchurch City Council One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha. Populous + WARREN AND MAHONEY are proud to be part of this transformative project, with the design and construction team led by BESIX Watpac , as work continues on creating a world-class venue for the community.
“Our team has provided the architectural designs for a venue that is a flexible, urban multi-use arena within a thriving precinct for the community to enjoy memorable events and important celebrations,” said Chris Paterson of Populous.
With a capacity of 25,000 permanent seats for sport and the ability to accommodate over 37,000 for major events, One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha will host everything from high-intensity rugby and football matches to concerts by global music icons.
Fans will enjoy 32 food and beverage outlets, three feature bars, and a vibrant concourse with views straight to the field of play, bringing the energy of the event into every space.
New Era for Orlando Stadium
A new chapter in the story of Soweto football was unveiled on Tuesday morning as Amstel, the official beer partner of Orlando Pirates Football Club, revealed the new name of the iconic stadium – Orlando Amstel Arena.
The unveiling ceremony took place in the heart of Orlando, Soweto and was fittingly opened by a moving performance and prayer from the Orlando Pirates choir, setting a reflective and celebratory tone for the historic moment.
Speaking at the event, Orlando Pirates Chief Administrator Mcebo Dlamini emphasised the importance of infrastructure development within township football and the deep emotional connection between the club, the stadium, and the community.
“The talent is there, but what is often missing is the infrastructure. We are rooted in the township, and this stadium means a lot to the people. It carries history, significance, and responsibility,” he said. “When you are associated with Orlando
Pirates, you are not just a commodity – you become part of the family. Once Always.”
Dlamini also took a moment to acknowledge and celebrate chairman Dr Irvin Khoza’s birthday, describing it as a moment that could not pass without recognition.
Meanwhile, Pirates legend Edward Motale, also part of the panel, reflected on the memories and symbolism tied to the stadium. “Every time I pass Orlando Stadium, I am showered with memories. This is big for Orlando Pirates,” Motale said.”
Echoing those sentiments was former Pirates goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo, who described the stadium as a place that will always feel like home to those who wore the famous black and white.
The unveiling itself drew attention beyond the venue, as the streets of Orlando briefly came to a standstill. Passers-by paused to witness the moment the covering dropped, revealing the new stadium name in a powerful visual symbol of change
and continuity.
The excitement now shifts to the return of competitive football to the new-look Orlando Amstel Arena, with Orlando Pirates set to host Magesi FC in a Betway Premiership on Saturday.
Fans seated in the west stand will be greeted by newly installed bold red seats featuring Amstel branding, adding a fresh visual identity to the historic ground
WSDG showcases integrated acoustics and AV design expertise at ISE 2026
WSDG, the award-winning international consultancy specialising in acoustics and AV technology design, will make its official return as an exhibitor at ISE 2026, presenting its integrated approach to acoustics and media technology. Visitors are invited to meet WSDG’s international team in Hall 7, Booth N240, to discuss how complex performance requirements can be translated into robust, real-world technical solutions.
Active across Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Recording Studios, Corporate & Government, Educational, Religious, Residential, Broadcast and Transportation sectors, WSDG works at the intersection of architectural design, acoustics and AV technology. The firm supports projects from early requirements definition and advanced simulation through to system design, procurement support, commissioning and long-term lifecycle planning, ensuring that sound and media systems perform reliably and seamlessly over time.
“Our role is not to promote specific product ranges, but to design the right solution for each client’s situation,” says Sergio Molho, Senior Partner, Co-CEO at WSDG. “That means understanding how a space needs to perform acoustically and technologically, and ensuring that the system design integrates effectively with the architecture and the way the space will be used in real life.
Dirk Noy, Senior Partner, Co-CEO, agrees and adds: “Equally important is ensuring that performance-driven design never compromises fundamental requirements. Safety, materials compliance, and regulatory considerations must be embedded in the design process from the outset, rather than treated as an afterthought. A space can only truly perform when it is safe, resilient, and fit for real-world conditions.”
This consultancy-led approach is reflected in projects such as The Ark Legacy Project in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria - a 150,000-capacity worship venue where WSDG delivered acoustic modelling, sound isolation strategies, and the design of large-scale video, lighting and electroacoustic systems. The result supports speech intelligibility, musical performance and immersive congregational experiences at scale. Similar approaches, such as projects Olympiastadion Berlin, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Billionaire St. Moritz, and The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, underpin WSDG’s work across stadiums, arts & entertainment venues, hospitality, religious, residential, corporate hubs, broadcast facilities and high-performance media production studios, where precision sound control and resilient AV infrastructure are critical.
At this year’s ISE, the firm will highlight how it helps bridge the gap between technology manufacturers and end users, translating rapidly evolving tools into practical, future-ready solutions tailored to each project.
“ISE has always been an important meeting point for meaningful dialogue,” explains Molho. “The industry is moving away from isolated products towards fully interoperable ecosystems. Our focus is helping clients navigate that complexity by uniting acoustics, AV and media technology design from the earliest planning stages.”
WSDG has a long-standing relationship with ISE, having been involved as an exhibitor at the show’s very first edition in 2004 in Geneva, and attending every edition since as the event moved through Brussels, Amsterdam and Barcelona. Returning as an exhibitor in 2026 marks a significant milestone for the firm.
Looking ahead, WSDG expects continued growth in trends such as ‘a world where everyone is a broadcaster’, increased AI-driven automation, greater system integration, and a growing emphasis on immersive, multi-sensory experiences across entertainment, education and experiential spaces. The firm also anticipates emerging conversations around sustainability, personalisation and the continued convergence of AV, broadcast and IT infrastructures.
“Technology is becoming more powerful, but also more accessible,” concludes Noy. “The challenge is ensuring that these systems remain intuitive, reliable and sustainable over time - and that’s where careful, performance-led consulting and engineering becomes essential.”
At ISE 2026, WSDG looks forward to welcoming attendees to Booth N240 in Hall 7 for conversations around project needs, technology strategies and the benefits of designing acoustics and AV systems as a unified discipline from day one.
d&b audiotechnik goes bold at ISE 2026 with major product launches.
d&b audiotechnik returns to Barcelona for ISE 2026, taking place February 3 to 6 at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, with one of its most significant lineups of new product introductions to date. Headlining is the U-Series, a new family of compact multipurpose point-source loudspeakers, opening a completely new chapter in the product category. Another key focus is the advancement of audio-over-Ethernet technologies with four new Milan-enabled products, expanding the d&b Milan ecosystem and enabling users to build scalable, robust, and future-ready audio systems. Completing the highlights is the 42S, a new point-source loudspeaker that combines acoustic precision with an ultra-compact form factor.
Underlining its commitment to constant innovation, d&b will premiere the U-Series, a new family of compact multipurpose point-source loudspeakers, representing a true paradigm shift in system design. Featuring both passive and advanced networked options, the series provides maximum system architecture freedom, all packaged in a sleek, industrial design that supports a wide range of installed and mobile applications.
d&b will also shine a spotlight on its latest Milan-AVB products reinforcing the company’s dedication to open standards, reliability, and seamless integration. The new Milan lineup includes the DS22 Audio Network Bridge, the DS1 USB-to-Milan interface, the DN2 AVB Switch and the 5DM, the Milan-enabled version of the renowned 5D installation amplifier. Both the 5D and 5DM pair perfectly with the new 42S, an ultra-compact all-purpose solution for applications where size and acoustics matter.
In addition to the new launches, visitors to the stand will be able to discover a range of products and solutions tailored to the needs of fixed installations, including CCLi, the installation version of the CCL Compact Cardioid Line Array, as well as a selection of the company’s Custom Solutions offering, which spans color options, custom rigging, and weather-resistant variants.
“ISE is a fantastic opportunity to showcase how innovation can strengthen our clients’ businesses, and I’m proud of our team to bring such an extensive range of new products to Barcelona,” says Jaakko Kaivonen, CEO d&b group. “I’m looking forward to meeting partners, customers, and industry peers, and to continue fostering the relationships that make this industry so special.”
Alongside stand 7E190 in Hall 7, d&b again has a dedicated demo room (D2, Hall 8) where visitors can experience the latest products in action.
SustAInable by design: PPDS brings next level processing power, performance, and intelligence to digital displays with the new Philips Signage 5000 Series
PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary solutions, is delighted to announce the official debut of its most powerful and intelligent digital signage line to date: the new AI ready Philips Signage 5000 Series (D-Line).
An evolution of the Philips Signage 4650 (D-Line) – globally popular for delivering eye catching installations in retail, corporate, transportation, education, public venues, and more – the striking new Philips Signage 5000 Series has been remodelled and reimagined using the latest breakthroughs in advanced UHD visual technology, energy efficiency, and processing power for unbeatable quality and performance.
Taking versatility, 24/7 reliability, and usability to unprecedented levels and to even wider audiences, the portrait or landscape mountable Philips Signage 5000 Series is available now across an extended range of screen sizes to suit, including 32”, 43”, 50”, 55”, 65”, 75”, 86” and 98”.
Set to go on public display for the first time at ISE 2026 in Barcelona (Philips booth 3N500), the Philips Signage 5000 Series (D-Line) introduces a new era for smarter digital signage displays, pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional signage to support a growing number of businesses seizing the benefits and opportunities around artificial intelligence.
AI ready
Designed with both the present and future in mind, the Philips Signage 5000 Series features an octa core processor and becomes the first in PPDS’ extensive range of Android SoC displays to integrate a 6 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second or Trillion Operations Per Second) neural processing unit.
Bringing extended AI power and possibilities to partners and customers in any market, the 6 TOPS NPU allows AI applications and tasks to run faster and deliver smoother processing, ensuring seamless user experiences without slowing down or impacting other processors and operations – such as the Central Processing Unit and Graphics Processing Unit.
Andrea Barbuti, Global Product Management Lead EMEA at PPDS, commented: “As AI continues to progress, so does the innovation in our displays. Regardless of your thoughts or fears around AI, the opportunities for businesses are increasingly clear, with interest and adoption across multiple, if not all, markets continuing to grow exponentially.
He continued: “We have to be ready to match the current and future needs of our partners and customers. With the Philips Signage 5000 Series we are doing exactly that, with the speed and responsiveness of AI applications of today and tomorrow being seamless for the user. And, while the AI capabilities are a key new feature, it is just part of a plethora of new and enhanced innovations which set the Philips Signage 5000 Series apart.”
Tailored around you
Continuing to raise the bar for quality and performance, the Philips Signage 5000 Series (D-Line) delivers a wealth of extended installation capabilities and opportunities to customers and partners, guaranteeing to captivate audiences, whatever the setting.
Featuring a stunning new UHD 600 nits – 500 nits on 32” FHD model – the Philips 5000 Series provides greater usability and operability in even more environments.
Designed to support around the clock usage and reliability, the Philips 5000 Series (D-Line) delivers complete peace of mind with its FailOver technology automatically playing back up content on screen in the unlikely event of a media player failure.
Ensuring screens never go blank – imperative for locations such as airports and train stations – AV/IT managers simply select a primary input connection and a FailOver connection for instant content protection.
Staying in control
Behind the screen, the Philips Signage 5000 Series (D-Line) is powered by an upgraded Android 14 professional SoC platform with trusted connectivity and security built in. Optimised for native Android apps and enabling managers to install web apps and software directly onto the display, eliminating the need for an external media player.
With integrated HTML5 support in a Chromium based browser, users can connect, control and create content – whether for single displays or for fleets installed around the world – entirely remotely, using a preferred cloud platform.
Unlocking the full power and intelligence of the display, the Philips Signage 5000 Series is compatible with the Philips Wave ecosystem – PPDS’ evolutionary cloud platform puts users in complete control of their Philips Professional Displays. Spanning digital signage, ePaper, and dvLED, Philips Wave offers simplified installation and set up along with making it easy for users to monitor and control displays, upgrade firmware, manage playlists, and set power schedules — saving time, energy, and environmental impact.
Internet connection is available via LAN cable, WiFi, or with an optional 4G module for reliable connection.
Extended product lifetimes
The Philips 5000 Signage Series continues a firm focus on sustainability, offering reduced power consumption compared with its predecessor, and reduced WEEE disposal thanks to PPDS ‘dual architecture’ modular design. First debuted on the Philips Signage 4650 (D-Line), PPDS’ modular approach brings new opportunities for longer product lifetimes with easily detached and replaced components, in the event of unlikely faults or age related degradation.
Ensuring maximum versatility and to match user preferences – and encouraging the reuse of existing cables and compatible equipment – the Philips 5000 Series (D-Line) supports HDMI, DP, HDMI out, RS232, LAN (Gb) and USB-C.
Bart Wouters, International Product Manager for Professional Displays at PPDS, added: “The highly flexible and versatile Philips D-Line was a landmark digital signage display, breaking new ground for design, quality, reliability, and versatility. With the new Philips Signage 5000 Series – an evolution of the D-Line, we have upgraded everything that made the 4650 and its predecessors a global success. We have introduced new features and capabilities to support the needs of businesses, including their sustainability commitment, both today and into the future. It is another clear symbol of unwavering dedication to our customers.”
To see the power of the Philips Signage 5000 Series for yourself, visit Philips booth 3N500 at ISE 2026.
First Live Production with S12: brutal güet Deploys Lawo AoIP and Flexible Broadcast Workflows at the Winter Classics
The Women’s Winter Classics in Gstaad marked the first live outing for OB truck S12, the new mobile production unit operated by Swiss broadcast service provider brutal güet. Produced for RED+, the open-air event — a flagship fixture of Switzerland’s top-tier women’s ice hockey league — also served as the inaugural live deployment of the vehicle’s fully IP-based Lawo audio infrastructure. At the core of the audio control room is a Lawo mc²56 MkIII console with 48 faders, paired with a redundant A__UHD Core and an AoIP environment based on SMPTE ST 2110, AES67 and RAVENNA. The production demonstrated how flexible system configurations, efficient workflows and high audio quality can be reliably implemented in a demanding live environment.
The Winter Classics in Gstaad rank among the premier events in Swiss women’s hockey. Staged in the center of the village, and framed by an alpine backdrop, the matchup saw reigning champions SC Bern face league leaders EV Zug. The production was realized in a demanding setup given the lack of conventional stadium infrastructure on site. For brutal güet, the event provided an ideal opportunity to put the production concept of the new OB van into operation for the first time under live broadcast conditions.
For Christian Maier, Senior Broadcast Audio Engineer at brutal güet, the first production with the new system marked a technological step forward: “Overall, it initially felt quite unspectacular because I was already familiar with the system. At the same time, working with AES and RAVENNA streams introduces new capabilities and advantages that still require a certain degree of adaptation.”
Multilingual operation is a central requirement in Swiss broadcast productions. Although only one language feed was actively used in Gstaad, the audio setup was designed for trilingual operation from the outset. “Productions in Switzerland are inherently more complex. We always have to be able to deliver three language versions,” explains Maier. “That’s why I structured the setup so that all three languages are prepared — not only for this production, but for all future ones as well.”
The latest mc² generation provides advanced DSP capabilities that streamline daily workflows. “Being able to store and recall EQs, compressors and presets, as well as using dynamic EQ processing, makes multilingual productions much easier. I don’t have to build the same signal chains multiple times.” DSP resources can also be allocated selectively. “Not every output requires full processing. If a signal path is mainly used for information delivery, I can reduce processing there and allocate resources where they deliver the greatest sonic benefit.”
Speed is another critical factor in live broadcast operation — both in day-to-day use and when troubleshooting. “I can customize the console to suit my workflow in every detail, but I don’t have to. I can also pragmatically route a signal from A to B quickly and easily — and it still works. At the same time, I can create an interface that lets me work extremely efficiently”, says Maier. The system’s visual clarity proves particularly valuable when problems arise: “If a camera operator reports they can’t hear anything, I can immediately check a second or third meter to see whether the signal is leaving my system. That tells me right away where to look — or where not to look.”
The open-air setting introduced additional acoustic challenges for the audio design. With no plexiglass walls behind the goals, the typical ice hockey reflections were absent; also the number of spectators was unpredictable. “It makes a significant difference whether 500 or 5,000 people are standing around the rink. In some cases, spectators may even be just a meter behind my ambience microphones,” notes Maier. To address this, the team implemented a customized microphone setup using directional shotgun microphones, ensuring precise capture of the on-ice action while minimizing unwanted noise.
Maier’s mixing approach focuses on balancing atmosphere and speech intelligibility. “I like to use a strong ambience mix to create an immersive experience, but the commentator always needs a clearly defined space.” This was implemented using dynamic EQ processing, sidechain filtering and automix functions. “The ambience is dynamically shaped in the relevant frequency ranges to leave room for speech without reducing overall level. This is an area where the latest Lawo console generation offers significantly more creative and technical flexibility.”
Precise timing and latency management is another critical aspect of modern broadcast production. Wireless cameras, remote feeds and distributed IP signal paths require flexible delay strategies. “Different signal paths operate in different time domains, and these have to be aligned again at the output stage. With Lawo, delays can be applied exactly where they make sense — at the input stage, within groups or on direct outputs. This level of clarity and flexibility remains a key advantage, especially in hybrid IP and remote production environments.”
For brutal güet, the S12 premiere represents both a technical milestone and a strategic foundation. The vehicle was built by Broadcast Solutions based on the Streamline concept and designed for a wide range of production scenarios, including sports, cultural events, festivals and live entertainment. “From the outset, our goal was not to focus exclusively on traditional sports productions,” says Maier. “If we produce an opera, we need this surface structure and channel capacity as well. The concept is to use the OB van as a fully equipped mobile control room and minimize on-site setups.”
The successful Winter Classics production validated this approach, showing how Lawo AoIP technology, flexible DSP architectures, and carefully designed workflows enable modern live broadcasts to be executed efficiently with consistently high quality, even under challenging conditions. For brutal güet, the first production with the S12 OB van marks the beginning of a new generation of mobile broadcast operations — scalable, versatile, and fully IP-based.