MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—In a bid to tap into the large market for youth sports, NBC Sports Next is launching SportsEngine Play, which it is billing as a first-of-its-kind subscription streaming service for capturing and viewing live and on-demand video of youth and amateur sporting events.
The new service SportsEngine Play, which has both free and subscription tiers, is designed to enable organizations, leagues, coaches and parents to view games and access a host of other resources that will help them be more involved in youth sports.
The new streaming service builds on NBC Sports expertise in sports and the August 2021 launch of NBC Sports Next, which focuses on driving sports tech innovation and creating new immersive experiences in such areas as youth, recreational sports, golf, sports betting, gaming and emerging media.
In September of 2022 NBC Sports Next acquired Rapid Replay, an provider of video streaming solutions that provides the technology and platform for the new streaming service.
The new SportsEngine Play streaming offers users live and on-demand streaming of youth and amateur sporting events and on a variety of devices and provides users with a variety of video editing tools, so teams can capture magical game moments and athletes can create their own highlight reels.
In addition to providing a platform for accessing and interacting with youth sports content, NBC Sports Next executives also say that SportsEngine Play is planning to build the industry’s most comprehensive collection of player development and training content.
This includes exclusive instructional videos from more than a dozen world-class athletes, including Michael Phelps, Larry Fitzgerald, Shaun White, Maria Sharapova, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Justin Jefferson, and more. In addition, the service will continue to build its selection of elite amateur sports competitions, such as the NXTPRO Sports’ PRO16 Basketball Circuit, with more content being added to the platform every day.
The launch of SportsEngine Play comes at a time when audiences for sports have remained strong. With the new streaming service NBC Sports Next hopes to tap into the large but relatively underserved youth sports market by catering to the rapidly growing number of athletes and their families, as well as the people working and volunteering in youth sports.
The National Council for Youth Sports claims more than 60 million participants are registered in organized youth sports programs in the U.S., and a recent study from the Aspen Institute reveals a post-pandemic rebound in participation of more than 20 percent from 2021 to 2022, NBC Sports Next reported in announcing the service.
“We’re thrilled to introduce SportsEngine Play to the more than 30,000 youth sports organizations and the millions of players and families we serve through our NBC Sports Next technology platforms and applications,” said Brett MacKinnon, senior vice president and general manager, Youth and Recreational Sports, NBC Sports Next. “Given our sports and media DNA, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver this product to the sports community – a preeminent streaming platform for all youth and amateur sports, with personalized video content, the best instructional and player development videos, and much more to come as we continue to grow.”
Part of NBC Sports Next’s roadmap includes plans to launch a SportsEngine Play connected TV streaming app in 2024, providing athletes and their families with an additional way to view content at home.
Currently the service will not have ads but executives say those could be added in the future.
For a limited time, SportsEngine Play is offering its subscription plans – Free, Premier and All Access – with introductory discount pricing:
- Free plan enables users to capture and view live-streamed content.
- Premier plan includes live streaming and on-demand viewing of game replays, plus access to editing tools to create highlight videos. $9.99 monthly/$79.99 annual (20% discount)
- All Access plan includes all live and on-demand streaming, editing tools, plus access to hundreds of hours of expertly produced sports content, including player development videos, instructional content from world-class athletes and organizations, access to premier amateur sports competitions, and more. $9.99 monthly/$79.99 annual (60% discount)
The service builds on the video streaming technologies NBC Sports Next acquired and the separate SportsEngine service it provides leagues, schools, teams and other outlets for managing teams, leagues and sports clubs.
Those technologies simplify the process of offering video streams of youth and amateur sports events with an end-to-end suite of video tools for live streaming, post-production, and highlight distribution.
Video streaming through SportsEngine Play can originate from a variety of camera sources, ranging from a personal phone with video capabilities to autonomous cameras professionally installed at sporting venues, NBC Sports Next reported.
To date, more than 90 cameras have been installed at more than 85 sporting venues – numbers that will continue to grow as more organizations join the platform. Hundreds of hours of live and on-demand streaming content (are being or have been) captured on SportsEngine Play already, representing such popular sports as football, basketball, baseball, hockey, volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse, as well as such sports as cheer, dance, figure skating, gymnastics, and martial arts. SportsEngine Play customers range from National Governing Bodies of sport to major club programs to individual teams.
NBC Sports Next is also building SportsEngine Play platforms for its partner organizations. For its recently established relationship with Frisco Independent School District, one of the largest districts in Texas, NBC Sports Next launched a Frisco Sports Live web portal powered by SportsEngine Play, which will stream approximately 4,000 sporting events for the district’s 12 high schools and 18 middle schools during the school year.
“Frisco ISD is excited that the achievements of its students will be showcased on NBC Sports Next’s SportsEngine Play,” Frisco ISD Athletic Director Jerry Littlejohn said. “The quality of the video is outstanding and it adds to the experience of participants, families and fans throughout the district and beyond.”
Parents and others can also record and upload games and content into the system.
In addition to live and on-demand event streaming, SportsEngine Play’s All Access subscription offers a growing library of video content that provides young athletes and their families with everything they need to know about their sports of choice, from rules and equipment to training and skills to mental health, fitness and more. This content features exclusive instructional videos from world-class athletes like Michael Phelps, Larry Fitzgerald, Shaun White, Paul Rabil, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Megan Rapinoe, and others, who offer video collections featuring tips and techniques highlighting their training regimens, as well insight on leadership and mental health.
“It’s a powerful thing to create opportunities to learn, grow and inspire within a deserving community, such as youth sports,” Walsh Jennings said. “I’m proud of the work my fellow champions and I have created with The Pros and so happy our content has found such a great home. My goal is to forever inspire and empower as many people as I can, and this partnership will allow for great and positive impact.”
Other premier video content on SportsEngine Play will be offered from National Governing Bodies of sport like USA Hockey, major clubs like Diamond Allegiance baseball, and leading industry voices like the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s TrueSport program. SportsEngine Play is constantly adding new content to the platform, even acquiring streaming rights to elite amateur sports competition that will entertain and inspire young athletes.
For more information and to check out an informational, how-to video, go to SportsEnginePlay.com.
