Phillies tease ‘more electrifying’ home run experience as massive scoreboard nears completion

This story originally appeared on Philadelphia Business Journal.

The Phillies don’t plan to officially unveil their massive new video board until early April, but anybody driving past Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia has probably already caught a glimpse of the 116,298-pound PhanaVision screen.

The new structure above the seats in left field is 77% larger than the previous scoreboard at the ballpark. The Phillies said it will be among the largest in all of Major League Baseball.

Its dimensions are 152-feet wide by 86-feet tall, giving it space to display 516 life-size Phillie Phanatics simultaneously. The previous scoreboard was 97-feet wide by 76-feet tall.

“As we get ready for our home opener, we’ve had the opportunity to get a firsthand look at what our new and enhanced PhanaVision can do, and it’s just extraordinary,” Phillies Executive Vice President David Buck told the Business Journal. “From its sheer magnitude to its exceptional clarity and technology, this new video board has the wow factor.”

Buck also said Phillies fans should get ready for an “even more electrifying experience” surrounding the first Phillies home run this season.

According to the Phillies, the 4K board’s “high-dynamic range system uses nearly 11.6 million pixels with 10 millimeter pixel spacing to deliver richer colors and superb clarity.” The team said fans will also be able to experience better viewing angles and short distance viewing far better than they were able to before.

The PhanaVision board will no longer have static signage for sponsors. Instead, the names of sponsors and their brands will be displayed digitally.

The new scoreboard is supported by 190 tons of structural steel. A modernized production control room was also built for the enhanced system.

The Phillies script logo for the new scoreboard is being installed over the next few days. It is currently being assembled in a nearby parking lot.

The removal of the existing display and installation of the new video board began after the World Series. The new scoreboard was manufactured and installed by Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota. It will make its debut for fans at the Phillies’ home opener against the Cincinnati Reds on April 6.