MacRumors reports that a source familiar with the project says that Major League Baseball will be rolling out thousands of iBeacons in ballparks around the country before opening day of the baseball season.
The league is looking to have twenty parks outfitted with roughly 100 iBeacons each by Opening Day at the end of March. Boston, Milwaukee, San Diego, LA Dodgers, and San Francisco are among the teams that will have iBeacons installed.
The deployment will be one of the largest attempted yet, aside from Apple’s own rollout of iBeacons to its 254-store retail chain. The MLB project will use iBeacons manufactured by Qualcomm.
The iBeacons will work with the MLB.com At the Ballpark app. The app is scheduled to be updated with iBeacon capabilities by opening day.
Functionality will vary by ballpark, with the individual teams having control over what users will see. Possibilities include ballpark information, concessions, loyalty and rewards programs, shopping, and more.
MacRumors’ source says the main purpose of the iBeacons is to improve the fan experience, not make money. (Although, a happy fan is a spending fan..)
