A year ago, after BlueFrame Technology signed Bellevue West High School to a contract that would allow the school to livestream sporting events to a pay-per-view audience, Lincoln-based Hudl took notice.
To that point, Lexington, Kentucky-based BlueFrame had made its mark by focusing on NCAA sporting events, including the Division II level, where it had garnered a 77% market share, but in venturing into high school athletics, it created new opportunities -- and new revenue streams.
“What Bellevue West was doing opened our eyes to what BlueFrame was doing and it opened a lot of other people’s eyes, too,†said Greg Nelson, Hudl’s general manager and vice president and football coach at Lincoln Lutheran. “We knew what they were doing at the college level, but it was fun to see them dipping their toes in the high school space. It was interesting to see.â€
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In its first year, the agreement made thousands of dollars for Bellevue West and might have served as the linchpin in Hudl’s purchase of BlueFrame last week. Now, Hudl plans to offer the livestreaming service to the 18,000 U.S. high schools it already works with.
BlueFrame said it signed more than 800 schools last year that are Hudl clients, while also inking livestream pay-per-view deals with state tournament events in Indiana and Missouri.
One high school athletic director said his school saw increased revenue after signing on with BlueFrame.
“(The) pay-to-view option made it easy to profit off the tickets sold,†said Chuck White, athletic director at Martin County High School in Kentucky, in a news release. “We were able to profit $5 off of every purchase.â€
Hudl's purchase price of BlueFrame was undisclosed. BlueFrame and its 30 employees are will work under the Hudl umbrella.
Hudl, which prides itself on its video performance analysis technology which is used for scouting opponents and athlete recruitment, now has teamed with a company with a proven track record for providing a livestreaming platform to schools of all sizes.
“We’re proud to have built a service for our customers that’s become an indispensable part of their organizations,†said BlueFrame co-founder and CEO Ben Kant, in a news release. “We’re excited to continue building even better products and experiences for our customers and their fans.â€
Hudl has created a 60-40 revenue-share model that will keep most of the pay-per-view money with the schools and will guarantee each athletic program that signs up for the service its first $5,000, Nelson said.
“If they go above and beyond, awesome, we’d love to generate more revenue for them,†Nelson said. “We’re trying to minimize the risk for them up front and help them realize what their content is worth.â€
Livestreaming took on added significance during the pandemic, when attending games was often prohibited. BlueFrame also noticed that the pay-per-view model created opportunities for out-of-area relatives – grandparents, aunts and uncles, alike – to see their family members play for a nominal price.
“We want schools to realize the value of their content,†Nelson said. “If we can put $5,000 back into the hands of each school to use in their budgets, that’s going to be pretty meaningful. That will open the eyes of every athletic director to the value of that content.â€