Make the most of your fall sports live stream

While you want as many in attendance as possible, providing a quality live stream can be the next best thing. You may have heard about the new Daktronics technology Big Stream. Big stream combines the big screen with a live stream, so fans can feel like they’re watching the game in the stands.

“The big question is going to be, will we be able to see those activities, and how will we show those activities to fans if they’re not going to be able to be in the stands,” says Daktronics market manager Kyle Sydow. “We asked ourselves how we could help people see the games. Big Stream was the answer to that question.”

With Big Stream, schools can run live video, game stats, trivia, and sponsored events from the press box and stream it to the living rooms of your biggest fans. Find out more about Big Stream, and listen to the podcast with Sydow and Daktronics product manager Chris Westerman.

If you do decide to stream your fall sports, get creative and get the most out of it. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Show the score

Streaming a live feed doesn’t give the whole story. If you use an All Sport® 3000, All Sport 5000 or All Sport 5500 wired or wireless controller, add All Sport Character Generator (CG). All Sport CG overlays crucial information like scoring and timing over the live feed, so fans can stay up to date while your camera(s) can stay on the field.

Learn more here.

Add exciting graphics

Whether you use a video board or a scoreboard on the field, you can add excitement to your live stream with professionally created animations from Daktronics. For example, include a sponsor during touchdown animations to provide a little income for the school while adding excitement as people celebrate the moment. Learn more here.

Choose your channel

There are many places to stream your games, so be sure to communicate where people can find you. YouTube is, of course, very popular, but so is Facebook Live and Vimeo.* No matter what you choose, put a link on your school website, and advertise early and often.

Reach alumni where they are

Many schools have Facebook communities for alumni. Consider running a Facebook Live event on that channel. People who may never attend a game in person may find it convenient to jump on and watch a game online. You could even encourage a virtual watch party!

“You can attract more fans than you ever had before,” says Sydow. “Even after schools can open the stadiums or gyms, and they can strategize to bring people back into the stadium, there’s still a whole other level of audience that will watch the stream. And that’s good. The more fans you have, the more support you have, the more sponsors you have.”

Get some tips for using Facebook Live here. *

Maintain or increase sponsorship dollars

Even if you don’t have as many people in the stands, you can satisfy sponsorship contracts by including ads and logos in your live stream. Include sponsored events and even dynamic advertising in the feed! If you find you have a large online presence, you may even be able to add sponsorship dollars.

“The average for schools that use our sports marketing team earns $50.000 a year,” says Sydow. “A year. We want to make sure sponsors can connect with the fans that would normally be in the stands. This is now an area where we can possibly add sponsorships, even when schools can’t have fans coming to the game. This is a great opportunity for new revenue for schools that don’t have video boards, too.”

See how can get some help from Daktronics Sports Marketing.

Keep students involved

If you have students running your cameras, video board or scoreboard, keep them involved when you stream games live. After all, you want to give them as much experience as possible, and this can add another line in their resumes. See how other schools are getting students involved here.  

*Daktronics has no affiliation with Facebook, YouTube or Vimeo, nor do we endorse their use.