Cowboys Stadium in Arlington is being renamed as part of a deal with Dallas-based AT&T.
The stadium will now be known as AT&T Stadium, effective immediately.
Sources said the telecom company was working a deal with "America's Team" last week, but the deal was officially announced during a midday press conference at the newly renamed stadium.
AT&T Tweeted out a new logo for the stadium during the start of that conference, even before owner Jerry Jones could get to the microphone.
@DallasCowboys proud to welcome fans to AT&T Stadium to cheer on America's Team #ATTStadium http://t.co/uT6lHUjFbz pic.twitter.com/wrCooX8vIC — AT&T (@ATT) July 25, 2013
Within minutes, the official press release was sent out to media organizations detailing the immediacy of the changes.
"Welcome to AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys," the release stated.
Jones promised new technological developments for the facility as part of the partnership with AT&T
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“AT&T is an iconic American leader that has guided the path of communication in the world for more than 100 years,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a press release. “Our stadium has always been about providing fans with an unsurpassed experience in the area of technology. With AT&T, we are growing our relationship with one of the world’s strongest and most innovative companies to ultimately provide fans with the latest cutting-edge technology for many years to come.”
“Dallas is our home town, and we’re proud to expand our successful relationship with the Cowboys, one of the most visionary sports franchises around,” said Cathy Coughlin, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and Global Marketing Officer. “This is a terrific opportunity to further integrate AT&T’s industry-leading mobile technology with the premier sports and entertainment venue to create a world-class fan experience.”
AT&T reps said they will expand cell phone service capacity at the stadium complex -- but only for AT&T customers. Expanded WIFI signals and other applications for smartphones are being improved for all fans visiting the stadium.
Signage and other branding elements for the newly renamed venue have already begun appearing. AT&T says substantial signage upgrades featuring their brand will be coming throughout the football season, both inside and outside the stadium.
It's not the only sports venue named after the telecom giant -- San Francisco has AT&T Park as the home for their Giants baseball franchise.
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said the city would receive five-percent of the money from the naming rights deal, up to a maximum of $500,000 a year. That money will be used to pay off the city's share of the stadium debt faster. Jones and AT&T declined to reveal exactly how much AT&T is paying.
Jones said it was not a record for stadium naming rights deals. The San Francisco 49ers recently signed a $220 million, 20-year deal with Levi Strauss & Co.
Legends Way will now be renamed to an AT&T branded street name, according to Jones. Jones said the "legends" term for the street was always designed as a placeholder.
The rebranding idea suffered some blowback from fans NBC 5's Mola Lenghi spoke to outside the stadium last week. Most wanted to keep the stadium's Cowboys brand.
Another report has the Cowboys pegged to move from their longtime home in Valley Ranch up to Frisco. Frisco's Mayor, Maher Maso, wouldn't confirm the move to NBC 5 when asked.
NBC 5's Ken Kalthoff contributed to this report.
