Vikings add more TVs, escalators to new stadium plans

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The Minnesota Vikings on Friday unveiled new upgrades for the $1 billion stadium under construction. The team said it will more than double the TVs inside the stadium and add six escalators to the current design.

Here's the statement the Vikings released Friday.

The Vikings announced today the team will pay design fees in order to add 1,200 televisions throughout the stadium, increasing from the originally planned 800 TVs to 2,000. The move ensures that fans will be able to view the game no matter where they are located in the building.

Additionally, the team will add six escalators that were previously cut from the stadium budget, bringing the total number of escalators in the building to 33. For comparison sake, the Metrodome had zero.

“As we continue to focus on building the best stadium possible for Vikings fans and for all stadium users, these two decisions were certainly crucial to achieving that goal” said Mark Wilf.

In the short term, the team will pay an additional $1.3 million for the new features, but that amount does not include the actual purchase and installation costs of the additional 1,200 TVs, which will come later. The team/private contribution toward the stadium now stands at $479.5 million, while the overall budget sits at $977.5 million.

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