VZ Upgrades Network of Monumental Sports: Will it Fuel Revenues?

Verizon Communications Inc. VZ recently announced that Verizon Business has completed the deployment of a 100G dedicated optical ring at Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). The optical ring connects four key sites of MSE. 100G capacity implies ultra-high bandwidth, seamless integration across venues, strong network connectivity, and faster and reliable broadcast workflow.

The media and entertainment industry is steadily shifting from legacy, capex-heavy broadcast systems to IP-based, flexible and remote work environments. Remote production models and virtualized media operations are most agile and cost-efficient. The optical network offerings of Verizon Business are benefiting from this emerging market trend. The recent optical ring will act as the backbone of the core broadcast and content creation process of MSE. It will significantly boost network resiliency and optimize operations ahead of the 2025–26 NHL/NBA seasons.

Verizon has been witnessing several customer wins in the entertainment sector. Recently, Verizon Business has deployed advanced converged network (Wi-Fi) services at the National Hockey League team St. Louis Blues’ stadium, Enterprise Center.
 
Verizon Business segment has been witnessing soft demand trends in the past few quarters due to weakness in the enterprise and public sector businesses. In Q3, the segment revenues were down 2.8% year over year to $7.14 billion. The company’s strategy of capitalizing on the emerging market trend in the media and entertainment industry and customer wins such as this can partially reverse this trend.

How Are Competitors Faring?

Verizon faces stiff competition from AT&T, Inc. T and T-Mobile, US, Inc. TMUS in the telecom space. Both companies have expanded their footprint in the media & entertainment sector.  FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX is utilizing the T-Mobile 5G network to deliver immersive views to fans. CNN has also deployed T-Mobile 5G to help journalists go live from anywhere.

In 2025, AT&T upgraded connectivity in the multipurpose stadium of New Orleans, the Caesars Superdome. AT&T has also upgraded network infrastructure in surrounding areas and other parts of the city to provide fans a seamless digital experience.

VZ’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Verizon has lost 2.7% over the past year against the Wireless National industry’s decline of 3.4%.

Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 8.44, down from 12.29 for the industry.
 

Earnings estimate for 2025 has remained unchanged, while the estimate for 2026 has declined over the past 60 days.

Verizon currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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