NBC Sports Next, a subsidiary of NBC Sports focused on golf as well as youth and amateur sports, has launched a new streaming outlet called SportsEngine Play.
The service is billed by the company as the first of its kind, providing a range of live and on demand video of youth and amateur sporting events and filling a void in a growing sector of American corporate and social life. While a number of digital players offer various features for youth and amateur team members and families, the market is fragmented and social media giants hosting youth sports video don’t offer bespoke services. SportsEngine Play, which is created on a foundation built by NBC Sports, is aiming to be a centralized hub for organizations, leagues, coaches and parents.
Recent estimates from analysts have pegged the global youth sports market at more than $37 billion, which is twice the size of the NFL. 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 participation rebounded by more than 20 % after the easing of the Covid pandemic in 2022 compared with the previous year.
Along with live and on-demand streaming of events, SportsEngine Play offers video editing tools to aid in the creation of highlight reels. It also has player development and training content, including exclusive instructional videos from more than a dozen world-class athletes, including Michael Phelps, Larry Fitzgerald, Shaun White, Maria Sharapova, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Justin Jefferson.
There are three subscription tiers: Free, Premier and All Access, with introductory pricing topping out at $10 a month.
Video is pulled from a range of sources, from individual mobile phones to autonomous cameras professionally installed at sporting venues. To date, more than 90 cameras have been put in at more than 85 sporting venues, with more expected to come online as subscribers enter the fold.
“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, SVP and GM, 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.”
Plans call for the rollout of a SportsEngine Play connected TV streaming app in 2024, which will add a living-room dimension.
The streaming service offers major participation sports like football, basketball, baseball, hockey, volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse as well as more targeted sports like cheer, dance, figure skating, gymnastics and martial arts. Customers range from National Governing Bodies of sport to major club programs to individual teams. NBC Sports Next is also building client branded SportsEngine Play platforms for partner organizations, including many public school districts.
“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.”