The first HighSchoolOT live game broadcast took place at Leesville Rd vs. Milbrook boys basketball game on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, with CBC Sports Radio’s James Alverson (left) on play-by-play & HighSchoolOT’s Nick Stevens providing color commentary.
CBC New Media’s HighSchoolOT brand has been covering prep sports exhaustively for years. It was the first Triangle area media outlet with a website and app dedicated to high school sports, and HSOT has produced more prep video content than any other media outlet in the state.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, HSOT expanded its high school sports content portfolio with an Internet live stream of the Millbrook at Leesville Road boys basketball game. The CAP 8 conference matchup was available exclusively through the HighSchoolOT website and app. (An archived version of the broadcast can be viewed online at http://highschoolot.com/15342656/)
“We wanted to learn the best way to produce and deliver live game coverage for a Web and mobile audience,” said WRAL.com General Manager John Conway. “The end product exceeded our expectations. The production quality was first-rate, as was the play-by-play and analysis.”
WRAL-TV Engineering staffers Pete Sockett (l to r), Tony Gupton & Tony Patterson are ready to make the first HighSchoolOT Internet live stream happen on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at the Leesville Road boys basketball game.
Production of the game was planned and supervised by the team of Pete Sockett, WRAL’s director of engineering and operations, and engineers Tony Gupton and Tony Patterson. WRAL partnered with freelance sports video producer Kyle Lang, who has produced live TV and internet broadcasts of Carolina Railhawks games.
The three-camera live broadcast included play-by-play from sports radio’s James Alverson and color commentary from HighSchoolOT editor Nick Stevens. It also featured in-game stats, instant replay and commercial breaks.
“I thought it went well — especially given it was the first time we had ever done it,” Stevens said. “I really liked the graphics we had, and we even had some comments about that on social media.”
The live Internet-only game was promoted on social media, radio, TV and web. Viewers were treated to a close game. Millbrook, the CAP 8 conference champion, won 65-62.
“It was a good night and very good game to do our first live stream,” Stevens said.
Conway added, “It’s safe to say this won’t be the last time HighSchoolOT streams game coverage live. Football season will be here before you know it.”
Thanks to NMG’s John Conway for this capcom story & for these capcom photos.
