Ontario University Athletics (OUA) has sealed the deal with Internet sports streaming service Stretch Internet to launch OUA.tv live sports broadcasting in the 2014–2015 season.
The free online webcast will stream all regular season football, hockey, basketball, and volleyball games along with any potential playoff games. Both live and on-demand video will be featured on the website, as well as internet-enabled streaming devices, come September 2014.
OUA.tv will list and broadcast all home games across Ontario on a nightly basis.
“It came as a way of promoting Ontario University Athletics. It’s a central portal where fans can go and connect and watch varsity athletics across the province,” said Dan Ackerman, communications manager at University of Waterloo Athletics.
After a successful partnership with Stretch Internet last year, UW looks forward to expanding their fan base and promoting Warrior athletics.
“We hope to increase and enhance our school spirit. It will be a good way for students to follow along if they can’t make the games,” said Ackerman.
Ackerman further expressed his hope that this will not stop students from coming out to the arena or court to watch Waterloo’s live games.
“I think it will have a trickle-down effect. It will help promote our product and we hope to pump it out to social media — Twitter, Facebook — and then people will pick up the feed and that’ll attract our student body to actually go watch the games. It’s a good atmosphere and a good way to meet other students. That’s kind of the effect we hope it has, that they see online how fun games can be.”
The Warriors’ first home football game kicks off the online broadcast for University of Waterloo this September on Labour Day.
“It’s a way that they can connect and watch our Waterloo Warriors play and show their black and gold spirit,” said Ackerman.
