RADIO OR AUDIO-ONLY BROADCASTS: The NCHSAA holds the media rights to all NCHSAA post-season events, including playoffs and State Championships. Stations seeking to broadcast an audio-only or radio broadcast of any post-season contest should pay the appropriate fee to the host school before the start of the contest. The radio rights fee is $100 per game in football and basketball. The fee for radio in all other sports is $50 per game.
Because the NCHSAA holds the rights to all post-season play, no station can be denied the opportunity to broadcast a playoff contest by any member school without the approval of the Association.
With written application to the Association, a non-commercial audio broadcast may have the rights fees waived under certain circumstances (Must be non-commercial, produced by an educational entity, and include students’ use in the production).
VIDEO STREAMING & TELEVISION BROADCASTS: The media rights to all NCHSAA post-season events, including playoffs and State Championships, are held by the NCHSAA. Sinclair Broadcasting Group has purchased the exclusive rights to produce and distribute the Football and Basketball State Championships. They also have the right of first refusal on any playoff contest in those two sports for their contract with the NCHSAA.
The NCHSAA also has an agreement with the NFHS Network that cedes the remaining portion of NCHSAA post-season events media rights to the NFHS Network. Per our agreement with them, they would have the following choice of games during the football and basketball playoffs after Sinclair. They have first right of refusal on all other sports during the playoffs.
Suppose Sinclair, NFHS Network, or any affiliated content producers decline to produce an event. In that case, third-party groups can request to broadcast NCHSAA playoff contests through the online form below.
Once that form is completed and the events clear the first refusal phase of the process, third-party broadcasts will be approved. A fee is associated with broadcasting or streaming the video of any NCHSAA playoff contest video. For football, that fee for live streaming internet video is $500 per game, per our contract with the NFHS Network. That fee applies to any video production not EXCLUSIVELY carried on the NFHS Network.
Other sports have lower fees; please contact the NCHSAA if you have questions about the cost of any particular event. Schools or third-party content producers that produce games for distribution agree to share their feed through the NFHS Network, and their local feed will have their fees waived by the NCHSAA. We encourage sharing content with the NFHS Network to further highlight the games on a grander scale.
Football Video Broadcast Fees
| Internet Stream or Cable Community Access Channel | School or Neutral Site Game | Championship Site |
|---|---|---|
| Live | $500.00 per game ($250.00 if shared with NFHS Network) (Free if Student Program AND shared with NFHS Network) |
$1,000.00 per game |
| Delayed/On-Demand | $250.00 per game | $500.00 per game |
| Over-the-Air Television Broadcast | ||
| Live | $1,500 per game | $3,000.00 per game |
| Delayed/On-Demand | $750.00 per game | $1,500.00 per game |
Basketball Video Broadcast Fees
| Internet Stream or Cable Community Access Channel | School or Neutral Site Game | Championship Site |
|---|---|---|
| Live | $250.00 per game |
$750.00 per game |
| Delayed/On-Demand | $150.00 per game | $250.00 per game |
| Over-the-Air Television Broadcast | ||
| Live | $1,000.00 per game | $2,000.00 per game |
| Delayed/On-Demand | $500.00 per game | $1,000.00 per game |
All Other Sports Video Broadcast Fees
| Internet Stream or Cable Community Access Channel | School or Neutral Site Game | Championship Site |
|---|---|---|
| Live | $150.00 per game |
$300.00 per game |
| Delayed/On-Demand | $75.00 per game | $150.00 per game |
| Over-the-Air Television Broadcast | ||
| Live | $500.00 per game | $1,500.00 per game |
| Delayed/On-Demand | $250.00 per game | $750.00 per game |
If you have any questions, please contact Brandon Moree, Director of Communication and Media Relations, at brandon@nchsaa.org.
