A new TV network devoted to high school sports will launch later this year. It will be a cable network with mobile and broadband platforms to show a 24/7 schedule of high school events.
PlayOn Sports plans to show 1,000 championships in several different sports including baseball, basketball, football, gymnastics, lacrosse among others. In addition, PlayOn plans minimal repeats due to over 15,000 hours of events it will show.
According to PlayOn, it has agreements with high school athletic associations in 21 states and hopes to expand to 30 in the first year of operation.
The company hopes to reach 50 million Americans when it launches in the Fall of this year.
We have the press release for you.
PlayON! Sports announces LAUNCH OF NATIONWIDE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS network
Network to Launch Across Cable, Satellite, Telco and Online Platforms in Fall of 2012
ATLANTA (February 13, 2012) – PlayOn! Sports (PlayOn) announced today that it will launch the first nationwide network dedicated exclusively to high school sports, including a 24-hour television channel, and products for broadband, mobile, and video-on-demand platforms. PlayOn is the nation’s largest rights holder, producer, distributor, and aggregator of high school sports events, and this groundbreaking initiative will create a high school destination for viewers, distributors and advertising partners.
Debuting in the fall of 2012, the network will provide comprehensive coverage of all boys and girls varsity sports, giving exposure to many of the 7.6 million high school students who participate in high school athletics. Annual attendance of high school events is more than three times that of college and professional sports combined, providing PlayOn with a robust and passionate fan base for the network.
The PlayOn High School Sports Network will feature:
- More than 15,000 hours a year, and growing, of live event coverage of regular season, postseason and championship events including marquee match-ups across all sports.
- Original and exclusive programming to complement event coverage, including original series, studio shows, news, documentaries and highlights.
- A linear television channel with a full 24-hour schedule and minimal repeats.
- A substantial library of assets for video-on-demand, broadband and mobile products.
- Access to a wide variety of sports and year-round programming including football, basketball, baseball, competitive cheer, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming/diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.
PlayOn is uniquely positioned to launch a nationwide high school network due to its exclusive and extensive rights holdings, partnerships with state high school associations and relationships with hundreds of high schools that participate in its School Broadcast Program. Currently, PlayOn annually produces more than 5,000 events, crowns 1,000 champions and generates more than 15,000 hours of live and on-demand event coverage from 21 states across the country. In addition, schools participating in the School Broadcast Program annually produce more than 15,000 regular season sporting and school-related events such as news programs, meetings and graduations. Over the next year, PlayOn anticipates expanding into over 30 states nationwide.
“PlayOn has spent the past five years cultivating a product that has generated unprecedented access to millions of passionate high school sports fans across the country. Expanding to a nationwide network is a natural transition,” said David Rudolph, CEO of PlayOn. “High school sports is a rapidly emerging market and this network will provide an incredible opportunity for distributors and advertisers who want to reach this coveted audience at the national, regional and local level.”
The PlayOn High School Sports Network will include broad multi-platform products for its distribution partners, that include video-on-demand, broadband, and mobile opportunities. After the fall launch, the network will debut additional features including high-definition programming, regional feeds, and unique multi-screen television and broadband applications.
“More than 50 million Americans consider themselves high school sports fans, providing an enormous audience for the network” said Bo LaMotte, executive vice president of distribution at PlayOn. “This multi-platform network will be a valuable asset for distributors, delivering unique and compelling content across all platforms. The network will be the destination brand for high school sports, allowing our partners to target a national audience with complementary local programming.”
PlayOn! Sports is the largest rights holder, producer, and aggregator of high school sports events distributed across television, the Internet, and mobile devices. By combining State Athletic Associations’ postseason content with the regular season events of member schools, PlayOn provides marketers with a unique multi-media platform solution to reach teens, young adults and families. PlayOn Sports is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with offices in the Southeast, Midwest and California. For more information, contact PlayOn! Sports at info@playonsports.com or visit www.playonsports.com.
That will do it.
