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As the NFL prepares to start construction of its new $1.5 billion football stadium in Carson, Calif., the technology giant that is building the stadium is building a tower defense tech startup.
A number of top NFL franchises, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders, have signed up to the deal, which is expected to be complete by the start of the 2020 season.
The tower defense company, which has received a total of $400 million from the NFL, has been working on a product that uses Bluetooth to transmit real-time video of the tower defense towers on the field to the owner of the opposing team, the Los Angeles Chargers, according to a person familiar with the project.
The Chargers are one of the teams interested in the technology, the person said.
The NFL, however, will not be using this technology for games in the stadium.
The NFL has made clear that this technology is not being used for the stadium itself.
“It’s a totally different type of game, and the technology is completely different,” said Michael J. Katz, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at the NFL.
“We are not going to be using it for the game itself.”
The Chargers declined to comment on the Tower Defense company.
The Los Angeles Rams, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders have also signed up for the $1 billion stadium project.
The league said it is working with the tech firm to ensure the technology will be used in the stadiums.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Tower Defense CEO Matt Soderberg said he believes the technology that the league is using to develop the technology has already been used by the Chargers and Raiders, who have played in stadiums with tower defense technology.
He said he doesn’t believe the Chargers would ever use it for a game.
The tech firm is still in talks with the NFL about partnering with the league on a new stadium, and he said the company has received about $600 million in loan guarantees from the league and the U.S. government.
The first season of the Chargers’ stadium is set to begin in 2021.
