State Representatives Jim Struzzi, Brian Smith and Marla Brown have joined together to demand change from the PIAA concerning high school sports broadcasting.
Recently, PIAA entered into an agreement with the National Federation of High Schools, better known as NFHS, who provide a streaming service for school sporting events. However, the agreement eliminates the ability and opportunity for local broadcasters to stream games, especially in high profile situations like playoff and championship games. When that happens, those who are unable to go to the game must pay NFHS a subscription fee to access the stream. Several times this year, Renda Media and Digital was denied permission to provide video streams of the games.
A letter co-signed by 45 members of the state house on both sides of the aisle has been sent to the PIAA to demand reform and allow local broadcasters the chance to stream. After the letter was sent, Struzzi, Smith and Brown issued a statement criticizing the exclusivity agreement between PIAA and the NFHS, and said that while the PIAA said the issue would be resolved during a 2022 hearing, nothing has been done since then. The joint statement said that “It has become clear that fair broadcasting is not a priority being addressed by the PIAA” and that “the issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible for the sake of Pennsylvania’s players, families and fans.”
In 2023, Struzzi introduced House Bill 30 named the “Fair Play in Broadcasting” Act. Struzzi said that it has strong bipartisan support and can move from the House Education Committee at any time.
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