Texas High School Football Goes Global with THSCA and Victory+ Game of the Week

The Evolution of High School Football Broadcasting in Texas

Joe Martin, the executive director of the Texas High School Coaches Association, initially opposed the decision to allow live streaming of Texas high school football games. This was back in 2020 during the pandemic when the University Interscholastic League (UIL) first permitted streaming. Martin, an old-school advocate for traditional game experiences, was concerned that the move would diminish the atmosphere of Friday Night Lights.

“I wanted the home-school experience, the crowd. I was concerned that streaming was going to take crowds away,” Martin explained at the THSCA’s 93rd annual convention and coaching school. However, over time, he has come to accept that live streaming is now a significant part of the future of high school football in Texas.

This shift is highlighted by the recent partnership between the THSCA and Victory+, a free streaming service. Starting this season, Victory+ will broadcast a statewide Game of the Week every week during the regular season and playoffs. The inaugural matchup is set to feature two-time state champion Denton Guyer against 12-time state champion Aledo on August 29.

Martin acknowledges that streaming may have reduced some in-person attendance, but it also offers benefits. “It allows those grandparents or parents or relatives that are not in that community to be able to watch their relative play and support their team,” he said. He believes that streaming is here to stay.

Viewers worldwide can stream the action live on Victory+ through mobile devices, connected TVs, or the Victory+ website, with replays available on demand. Victory+ has become the exclusive streaming platform for Texas high school football, thanks to a five-year agreement with the UIL to carry the football state championship games and up to 20 additional playoff games annually starting this season.

“Our goals are to knock down the barriers that have traditionally been in place with legacy media outlets,” said Jason Walsh, COO of A Parent Media Co., which owns Victory+. “It doesn’t matter if you live in Italy or Italy [Texas]. You can see the content anywhere.”

Victory+ also broadcasts Stars and Rangers games, though the cost for accessing Rangers games differs. According to a February report from The Dallas Morning News, a full season subscription costs $100, which includes access to Rangers’ games on the Victory+ app, two tickets to a Rangers home game, on-demand content, and free access to Stars’ broadcasts.

The initial allowance of streaming in 2020 was due to pandemic-related restrictions limiting game capacity to 50%. This temporary measure lifted a long-standing ban on live telecasts of regular-season games. During that year, there were various streaming options, including NFHS Network. In 2021, the UIL voted to allow Friday night broadcasts, but only for webcasts streamed over the Internet.

Now, Texas has a unique program that sets it apart from other states. “No other states have a program like this,” Walsh noted. “Other states will do smaller, regional sports network deals... but nothing to this extent, nothing global.”

Walsh emphasized that streaming is where the audience is heading. “In May, streaming eclipsed cable and broadcast viewership in this country for the first time. The accessibility is the key.”

Martin expects that most of the Game of the Week broadcasts in 2025 will focus on schools in larger classifications. However, all parts of the state will be covered, and Victory+ aims to expand to other classifications in the future.

“We want to get into all of those different areas, because as an association, we represent all those coaches in all those classifications,” Martin said. “Our goal is to be expansive as we can.”