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For those of you who not only enjoy Bridgeport High School sporting events, but who also enjoy the school’s theatre and arts programs, plans are in place to roll out something to meet your needs without leaving the comfort of your home.

 

According to Bridgeport High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matt DeMotto, live streaming of events for a fee is about to take place.

 

“It’s going to be something that a person can subscribe to and be able to watch the event we offer on their cell phone, computer or smart TV,” said DeMotto. “For those that have seen the video on the scoreboard during football games, it will be very similar to that, but we want everyone to understanding that it’s not just football and not just sports.”

 

While the plan hasn’t officially been rolled out, DeMotto expects the particulars to be made public in the very near future in order to get the process rolling. He also said that individuals need to understand that not every sporting event or every school event will be televised.

 

“We simply don’t have the resources at this stage for every event. Right now, we’re looking at events like football, soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball and the school plays,” said DeMotto. “Some sporting events with the resources that would be available immediately would be extremely difficult to do.”

 

That leads to the million dollar question – or a question much cheaper. How much will it cost?

 

“We’re not settled on a price, but we think we’re going to bundle it for football so that you get the live streaming, the parking pass and the season ticket as one,” said DeMotto. “Another idea is to sell a fall, winter and spring package or perhaps a year-round package.”

 

For those that think Bridgeport High School is the first to do this, DeMotto said that’s not the case. He said there are other schools in West Virginia – such as Notre Dame and Brooke High Schools – already doing this.

 

“We’re not breaking ground here,” said DeMotto. “Others already do this.”

 

For the sporting events, home games will not be an issue. Road games, he said, will require permission from the other schools and if the resources at home work at a visiting venue.

 

“We’re going to try to do it home and away, which is why when we package this we won’t be guaranteeing a certain amount of games. We’ll need permission from schools we visit, but we think we’ll get that,” said DeMotto. “We know the first year is largely going to be a learning experience.”

 

Eventually, the goal is to make the project a student learning experience. He said for the first year and maybe early into the program, any event that has a radio broadcast for sports can be tied into by games on WAJR 103.3 FM that are usually called by Travis Jones.

 

“Travis certainly bring a high level of quality to any game when he’s calling it, but we’re hoping to grow this into a journalism thing and eventually allow them to be involved in the broadcasting, Even though Travis is tough to top, if we can make it about learning then that’s the direction we’ll go in,” said DeMotto.

 

As for events such as school plays, DeMotto said there will be an audio component. He said it would be useless otherwise.

 

Once the system is in place and subscriptions begin to be solicited, DeMotto said the high school will team up with a company that has the infrastructure to get started that you will sign up with. That company will then provide a check to Bridgeport High School. DeMotto said the funds can be used to support various extracurricular activities at the school.

 

“Ultimately, we have to determine what is the best price to charge for this,” said DeMotto. “Would someone be willing to pay $125 for an entire year pass?”

 

DeMotto said he hopes that this will be utilized by family members out of state that want to see their nieces and nephews, the grandchildren or even alumni that are interested in following their alma mater.

 

Are you interested in at that price? Check out the poll on Connect-Bridgeport.com that begins tomorrow and let BHS know.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Matt DeMotto in front of the digital scoreboard that currently shows footage during high school football games similar to what will be shown on the live streaming channel. The play Footloose and boys basketball players such as J.T. Harris could also be coming to a television near you.