There’s a flood of youth and amateur sports content, but given how scattered it is, catching the games can be difficult. NBC Sports Next is taking a shot at this with the launch of SportsEngine Play. The first-of-its-kind subscription streaming service will offer thousands of youth and amateur sports live and on-demand from some of the biggest organizations in the world.
SportsEngine Play is just the latest example of how streaming services are taking advantage of the interest in sports — particularly live games — in new and different ways. Once considered the domain of cable, more games are showing up on streaming services, whether its Max’s sports package, which airs the same NBA and MLB games as on TNT and TBS, YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket or Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football. But NBC Sports Next is adding a twist making this more interactive for users, an element that plays well with the intense, but local interest in youth sports.
Beyond catching games, SportsEngine Play will give users the ability to create their own highlight reels by providing in-app editing tools, and hundreds of hours of player development content featuring instructional videos from some of the biggest names in sports. In The Pros section of the app, you can find Michael Phelps, Larry Fitzgerald, Shaun White, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Paul Rabil, Justin Jefferson, and other world-class athletes providing exclusive training videos on the platform.
“It’s a powerful thing to create opportunities to learn, grow, and inspire within a deserving community, such as youth sports … and I’m happy my content has found such a great home,” said four-time Olympic medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
How SportsEngine Play Works & Pricing
Below are details of how the platform works from the announcement:
Video streaming through SportsEngine Play can originate from a variety of camera sources, ranging from a personal phone with video capabilities to autonomous cameras professionally installed at sporting venues. To date, more than 90 cameras have been installed at more than 85 sporting venues – numbers that will continue to grow as more organizations join the platform. Hundreds of hours of live and on-demand streaming content (are being or have been) captured on SportsEngine Play already, representing major participation sports, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse, but also additional sports like cheer, dance, figure skating, gymnastics, and martial arts. SportsEngine Play customers range from National Governing Bodies of sport to major club programs to individual teams.
As part of the NBC Sports family, SportsEngine Play could one day be part of Peacock’s ever-expanding lineup of live sports and content. For now, it’s a standalone service and it can be found on popular devices, including the ability to cast via Android and Apple. In 2024, NBC Sports Next plans to launch a SportsEngine Play-connected TV streaming app.
The announcement also details the three subscription tiers available on the platform:
Subscription Tiers
For a limited time, SportsEngine Play is offering its subscription plans – Free, Premier, and All Access – with introductory discount pricing:
- Free plan – enables users to capture and view live-streamed content.
- Premier plan – includes live streaming and on-demand viewing of game replays, plus access to editing tools to create highlight videos. $9.99 per month or $79.99 annually (20% discount)
- All Access plan – includes all live and on-demand streaming, editing tools, plus access to hundreds of hours of expertly produced sports content, including player development videos, instructional content from world-class athletes and organizations, access to premier amateur sports competitions, and more. $9.99 per month or $79.99 annually (60% discount)
What Sports Can Be Found on SportsEngine Play?
With partnerships from over 30,000 organizations, including USA Hockey, USA Volleyball, USA Soccer, Diamond Allegiance baseball, and thousands of elite amateur events (Puma Next Pro Sports, NXTPRO Sports’ PRO16 Basketball Circuit, etc.), SportsEngine Play will have a lifetime’s worth of content available for users.
Whether it is top youth and amateur basketball leagues, football featuring high schools nationwide, or US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sports organization in the world with 3 million players, there is something for everyone. Similarly to the Pros, these organizations also offer information and videos regarding training, how to play, how to get in, rules, and equipment recommendations.
“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, senior vice president and general manager, 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.”
By enabling organizations, leagues, coaches, and parents to unite teams, families, and young athletes, SportsEngine Play’s user base is expected to grow rapidly. Over 60 million participants are registered in organized youth sports programs in the country, according to the National Council for Youth Sports.
Another valuable partnership is with the Frisco Independent School District, which is one of the largest districts in Texas. Frisco ISD features 12 high schools and 18 middle schools that play on the the Frisco Sports Live web portal, which is powered by the SportsEngine Play platform.
You can find out more information and check out an informational, how-to video about the platform by visiting SportsEngine Play’s official website.