High schools turn to streaming
Huddled inside each of their cars as night fell over the Dublin High parking lot on one Saturday earlier this month, dozens of eager parents watched on their phones and tablets as, mere steps away, their children scrimmaged on an obscured football field in preparation for the fastapproaching season.
Barred from entering the stadium under COVID-19 health restrictions, they listened intently as Caede Mcmahon, a Dublin High senior, called play-by-play, and they saw graphics produced by his classmates. On the sideline, two more students operated cameras. Another pair of pupils acted as sideline reporters, even interviewing coaches.
In a normal year, the parents in the parking lot would have certainly made their way inside. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this shortened season has been anything but normal. Attendance is limited to the luckiest of family members, and at many schools, none permitted at all.
Across the Bay Area and the country, the NFHS Network (of the National Federation of State High School Associations) has inked deals with school districts to install camera equipment and provide the ability to broadcast events remotely. With an automated camera and no commentary necessary, more schools are able to provide streaming access with no personnel required. Schools also get a piece of the network’s revenue, which comes from the subscription fee required to access the streams.
However, while the NFHS Network has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the bullrush to virtual access amid the COVID-19 pandemic, critics said its streams do not have the production quality of local broadcasts, including the one put on by students at Dublin. The company said it more than doubled its viewership this past fall from the year before, to 2.3 million total views during the first four months of the school year.