WPIAL joins forces with NFHS Network
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Network have entered into a five-year contract with NFHS Network becoming the exclusive official postseason streaming partner of the WPIAL Championships beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year.
The NFHS Network will air WPIAL championship games in numerous sports, plus select football and basketball playoff games.
Founded in 1906, the WPIAL holds championships for 26 different sports. Its member schools are made up of 10 state counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland.
With this partnership, the WPIAL and Teall Properties Group (TPG) gain new access to expanded branding and promotional sponsorship opportunities that they didn’t have access to before. If the NFHS Network declines coverage of any postseason event, its rights will default to the WPIAL and TPG, and they can be sub-licensed to other interested streaming networks.
“The WPIAL is excited to welcome NFHS Network as the new streaming partner for the WPIAL Championships,” said WPIAL Executive Director Scott Seltzer. “We are excited about the new opportunities and resources this partnership will provide to our member schools. We understand that change is hard.
Seltzer acknowledged the previous partnerships with recent WPIAL Hall of Fame inductee Don Rebel and TribLIVE and its free, streaming productions. “We respect the services they provided the viewers of WPIAL Championships,” he said.
“We are thrilled for the WPIAL to be joining the NFHS Network,” said Michael White, NFHS Network EVP of Content and Production. “We appreciate the opportunity to show the scope of what the NFHS Network will do for high school sports and activities in Western Pennsylvania. The WPIAL joins 65 other associations from around the country in broadcasting their live events on the NFHS Network.”
By partnering with the NFHS Network, WPIAL member schools will have the opportunity to expand their broadcast curriculums with Manual Production. The Manual Production process allows students to gain real-world experience in broadcast journalism by analyzing their fanbase and determining what content is meaningful to them, collaborating with peers of different backgrounds, writing scripts and engaging questions, watching video with a critical eye for quality and content standards, and improving their technical literacy and skills.
“NFHS Network’s Manual Production process will benefit our schools by giving them the opportunities to add or expand their broadcast curriculums, which gives students more opportunities to pursue their interests,” added Seltzer. “It will give our students beneficial experience and better prepare them after graduation should they pursue a career in broadcasting or a similar field.”
All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at www.nfhsnetwork.com and through the NFHS Network mobile and TV apps for iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google TV, and Apple TV.