UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference has announced its new partnership with BlueFrame Technology to provide live streaming service to its 14 member campuses. The agreement will provide PSUAC members with access to first-class live streaming software and create the "Penn State Commonwealth Campus Athletics Network" to be available on the web and various smart devices, including tablets, televisions, phones and computers.
"The PSUAC is excited to announce this wonderful partnership with BlueFrame," said PSUAC Commissioner Ryan Ehrie. "While many of our campuses have started to live stream events, especially athletic events, we lacked access to the types of software and service we'll be provided by BlueFrame. This will be a great platform to showcase our student-athletes."
BlueFrame Technology is the premier end-to-end video streaming provider servicing over 700 colleges, high schools, and athletic organizations across North America. BlueFrame has official partnerships with over 30 collegiate conferences spanning all levels of competition. Currently, one out of every three NCAA institutions count on BlueFrame’s superior technology for their video streaming needs, including over 64% of NCAA Division II members.
“BlueFrame Technology is proud to team up with the Penn State Commonwealth Campuses and the PSUAC,” said BlueFrame Director of Partnerships Mark Krug. “Our end-to-end video streaming solution along with our ability to distribute broadcasts to all modern applications across web, mobile and smart TV devices will elevate the high-level competition within the conference while also providing fans and followers tremendous access. Our goal is to make sure fans and entire communities can stay connected and engaged with events across the Commonwealth Campuses and provide a modern platform to showcase their teams and student-athletes.”
The three-year pact begins in the 2020-2021 academic year and provides campuses with options to broadcast in high-definition and also provide closed captioning services for any events using play-by-play announcers. BlueFrame's platform also archives footage so fans who are unable to view a broadcast live can still watch a game at their convenience.
While campuses will not be required to utilize BlueFrame during this agreement, more than 70% of PSUAC campuses have live streamed athletic events over the past several years, and BlueFrame provides more features and options than previously available to members. Several PSUAC campuses are currently utilizing BlueFrame to broadcast games.
"Our goal is to ultimately have everyone utilizing BlueFrame during this agreement as live streaming becomes more ubiquitous," said Ehrie. "Most of our campuses currently showcase some events through a live streaming platform. Having a one-stop shop for all of our content, plus BlueFrame's production software, will be an asset to our athletic departments in professionalizing their broadcasts. This is an exciting opportunity to highlight the best the PSUAC has to offer."
BlueFrame will begin building the Penn State Commonwealth Campus Athletics Network this summer with goals to launch at the beginning of the fall sports season.