Howe ISD families used to watching Bulldog games on the district's own stream may have to look elsewhere once the playoffs start.
In a post Wednesday morning, the district said its volleyball and football teams are getting ready for postseason play and that some playoff games may not appear on its regular streaming platforms. Availability hinges on UIL approval and on who holds the broadcast rights, the district said.
Who controls the video
The University Interscholastic League keeps the broadcast rights to all postseason contests and has an agreement with Dave Campbell's to manage them, according to the UIL's postseason broadcast page. Every live or tape-delayed video broadcast of a playoff game has to be approved by the UIL, and the NFHS Network, the league's broadcast partner, gets first choice of any game it wants to carry.
When the school can stream
If no rights holder picks up a game, a school can ask for approval to run a non-commercial academic broadcast, according to a graphic the district shared. Approved school broadcasts can be posted on a school website, a YouTube channel or the NFHS Network.
The district's graphic lists the request deadlines: 12 p.m. two business days ahead for football games, and one business day before for other sports. A school broadcast will not be approved for a game that a UIL rights holder or one of its approved sublicensees has already claimed.
