Verizon Revs Up Mobile Video Demo at Indy 500

Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay may have won his first Indianapolis 500, but Verizon did its own victory lap after the race.

Verizon used the high-profile event, which this year attracted an estimated 250,000 spectators, to showcase its mobile video technology.

The wireless carrier set up demonstrations in the Pagoda, a prominent nine-tiered viewing tower positioned at the start-finish line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as in the Verizon Technology Pit. The IndyCar teams even received devices to check out the technology from the pits.

Verizon wirelessly delivered ABC’s live race broadcast, along with video from cameras positioned inside the cars and around the track, to portable devices. Viewers could select from among the various video feeds displayed within the app.

Wireless carriers, including Verizon, see mobile video as fueling the next phase of growth, as consumers increasingly turn to their portable devices to watch Internet video as well as movies and TV shows.

Rival AT&T cited the the growing importance of mobile entertainment as one of the reasons for its $48.5 billion offer to acquire satellite TV provider DirecTV.

Verizon initially demonstrated its multicast technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which allows it to deliver video efficiently over wireless networks. It selected the most visible U.S. sporting event, the Super Bowl, to showcase its live video capability.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via