Going to the MCG is now like being trapped in a nightclub
The reason I'm speaking out is not because of one earth-shattering event ruining the experience of attending a game, but a slow desecration. There's the increasing annoyance of screaming announcers trying to whip up excitement, the deafening intrusive music and the inability to talk among ourselves during the breaks; the incessant kiss-cam, karaoke-cam and oblivious-cam spectacles. We don't need to be revved up like a TV studio audience. The footy is the excitement.
But one thing has pushed me over the edge. Last Friday night I sat with my daughters in the Members' Reserve at the MCG at the match between Collingwood and Carlton. It was a marvellous game, Collingwood played beautifully and won by 56 points. What could go wrong?
Watching the footy was marred by the incredibly bright, repetitive flashing of LED advertising signs along all four levels of the Shane Warne Stand on the opposite side of the ground. These appalling signs were distracting and annoying and constantly interfered with the enjoyment of watching the game. It was reminiscent of being at a strobe-lit nightclub.
Last year, the AFL entered into a partnership with a media outfit called TGI Sport and formed an organisation called Lumen8 Media to manage match-day digital LED signage. Lumen8 Media oversees the commercial rights and sales for signage at the MCG and Marvel Stadium. At the MCG, LED signage has been added to levels 2A and 4 of the Shane Warne Stand, in addition to the previous levels 1 and 2, meaning these signs are now on all four levels of the stand.
In a story published in July 2024, before the changes were introduced in the current season, it was announced that the new business would 'enhance digital signage opportunities at [the MCG] by upgrading and expanding LED signage'.
In a disgraceful abandonment of the MCC members, the chief executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club, Stuart Fox, said: 'We strive to deliver greatness for our members and fans on match days and are looking forward to working together with Lumen8 Media to enhance that experience even further.
'Our future scope will include the digitalisation of signage on all four levels of the MCG and several other initiatives to make sure the MCG remains truly world-class.'
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