What is Stretch Internet? We've all heard of it if you work in college athletics, but many of us do not understand the niche market it serves. Anthony Reynolds (PMSA '12), a former college SID that now works at Stretch, tells us more about the company.
It's funny to think that I have already spent more than year removed from working in college athletics. For over six years, it was the primary focus of my career and as most people reading this blog will probably understand, at times, the primary focus of my life. My name is Anthony Reynolds and I was lucky enough to be recruited for the first Professional MSA program at Ohio. I spent six years as an Assistant Sports Information Director at Drake University and Arkansas State before rolling the dice to take a position with Stretch Internet last summer.
Stretch Internet is one of the leaders in audio and video streaming, working with a client base of mostly college athletics properties. Coming to Stretch provided me with a bit more freedom in my life and allowed me more time with my family and something that is rare in the sports industry - a 40 hour work week.
It provided for me a work-life balance like I have never had in my previous positions and has strengthened my understanding of streaming technology and how to provide a quality experience for fans. Personally, I have never shied away from change and have never been unwilling to take chances with my career.
My day-to-day responsibilities with Stretch Internet revolve mostly around communicating with our clients, monitoring events, troubleshooting tech issues, working with fans and helping train new clients on the ins and outs of our service . Communication is key to my position because we don't have much in person interaction with our clients other than our usual trek to CoSIDA. Almost all of our communication is either over the phone or through email and oftentimes when SID’s and broadcasters’ stress levels are at their highest.
It's an exciting time to work in the streaming industry as technology is always changing and new solutions are always coming out. We all know that content is king, so providing ways for athletic departments to provide live content to their fan bases has given exposure to schools that may never have had it otherwise.
Remember last year when Jack Taylor of Grinnell dropped 138 points to set the NCAA scoring record? That was streamed live over the Stretch Internet airwaves. In the world we live in, NCAA DIII schools don’t get TV contracts, but lots of fans were able to see it through our service.
We hear of these monster media rights deals for larger conferences and collegiate sports properties but where does the equalizer lie? From a financial standpoint, there isn't one, but schools do have avenues now to get affordable broadcasts off the ground that can be as simple as one camera and a laptop or as advanced as a multiple camera setup with a video mixer and full graphics. Some schools I have seen rival the production quality of professional sports networks.
What comes along with this exposure is the opportunity for fans, parents and alumni to connect with their institutions or watch their kids play from across the country when traditionally they couldn’t.
It also provides added sponsorship inventory not only for the broadcasts but for their viewing portal and can provide extra revenue if the school opts to go with a pay-per-view model for broadcasts.
Now don’t get me wrong, streaming isn’t new. But with technology evolving and the demand from fans to have access to content anywhere lots of universities are taking the opportunity strengthen their digital presence and some great content is being produced from some very talented people. My personal new favorite obsession is Vine.
