Key Takeaways
- Pixellot and PlayOn Sports have extended their partnership for five years, building on a relationship that has produced more than 3.4 million high school sporting events since 2017
- The companies have installed over 16,000 automated production systems across more than 9,000 U.S. high schools, now streaming more than half a million games annually through the NFHS Network
- The extended agreement introduces AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), a revenue-sharing model that marks a departure from traditional SaaS licensing in the sports technology sector
- New technology features include automated first down markers for football broadcasts and MaxPreps Advantage coaching analytics, which converts game footage into verified stats and shareable content
- Pixellot streams content for both high school athletics through PlayOn and youth/amateur sports through NBC Sports Next-owned SportsEngine
Five-Year Extension Builds on High School Market Penetration
Pixellot and PlayOn Sports announced a five-year contract extension that deepens a partnership originally launched in 2017. The agreement focuses on expanding automated sports production technology across U.S. high schools while introducing new artificial intelligence capabilities designed to increase fan engagement and generate additional revenue for participating schools.
PlayOn operates three core brands serving high school athletics: GoFan for digital ticketing, MaxPreps for sports media and data, and the NFHS Network for streaming. The partnership with Pixellot has installed more than 16,000 automated camera systems at over 9,000 high schools nationwide, producing content that reaches NFHS Network subscribers.
“Together, PlayOn and Pixellot have captured and produced over 3.4 million high school athletic events,” said David Rudolph, President of Streaming and Coaching Tools at PlayOn. The scale represents a substantial footprint in the high school sports technology market, where schools have historically struggled to produce consistent video coverage due to cost and technical barriers.
Introducing AI-as-a-Service Revenue Model
The extended partnership introduces what the companies call AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), which differs from traditional software licensing by creating a revenue-sharing structure tied to user engagement. According to Pixellot CEO Doron Gerstel, the model aligns economic incentives between technology providers and their partners rather than operating as a standard software subscription.
“AIaaS is a truly revolutionary approach to the partnership model in the youth sports industry,” Gerstel said. “Our agentic technology, driven by the engagement it creates and the personalization it makes possible, will unlock unprecedented revenue opportunities.”
The companies describe AIaaS as enabling personalized fan experiences that drive higher engagement on the NFHS Network, though specific details about how the revenue-sharing structure works and what percentage of incremental revenue flows to schools were not disclosed in the announcement. Pixellot and PlayOn position themselves as early adopters of this model in sports technology.
New Production Features Target Football and Multi-Sport Analytics
Recent product releases from both companies expand the capabilities available to high school programs. Pixellot introduced automated first down markers, bringing the yellow line technology familiar from professional and college broadcasts to high school football for the first time at scale. The company also released automated replay functionality and the Pixellot S3 camera system earlier in 2025.
PlayOn’s MaxPreps Advantage represents the company’s entry into coaching analytics. The platform converts auto-captured game footage into verified statistics, game scores, and recap videos that automatically upload to MaxPreps, where they reach the platform’s audience. The technology aims to reduce manual stat tracking for coaches while creating shareable content for players and families.
These features address two distinct needs in the high school market: improving broadcast quality to match expectations set by professional sports viewing, and reducing the administrative burden on coaches who often juggle multiple responsibilities beyond game preparation.
Market Position in Youth and Amateur Sports Streaming
Pixellot describes itself as the world’s largest producer of sports content, a claim rooted in the volume of automated systems deployed rather than viewership metrics. The company’s technology eliminates the need for camera operators by using wide-angle cameras and AI-powered tracking to follow game action, significantly reducing production costs compared to traditional multi-camera setups.
Beyond its PlayOn partnership focused on high school athletics, Pixellot also works with NBC Sports Next-owned SportsEngine, which serves youth and amateur sports venue operators. This dual distribution strategy positions Pixellot across multiple segments of the youth sports ecosystem, from recreational youth leagues through high school varsity programs.
The company’s growth reflects broader trends in youth sports technology, where organizations are investing in digital infrastructure for both competitive advantages and revenue generation. Streaming subscriptions, digital ticketing, and data analytics have become increasingly important revenue sources for sports organizations at all levels.
Looking Ahead: Expansion and Equal Access Priorities
Both companies emphasized their commitment to expanding coverage across all sports, competition levels, and geographic areas. The partnership’s scale already spans more than 9,000 schools, and the five-year extension suggests continued installation growth through 2030.
The focus on “equal opportunity across all sports, levels, and participants” addresses a persistent challenge in high school athletics, where football and basketball have historically received disproportionate resources and coverage compared to non-revenue sports. Automated production technology theoretically lowers the barrier to streaming lesser-covered sports, though the actual distribution of camera installations across different sports programs was not detailed in the announcement.
As the partnership extends through 2030, success will likely be measured by several factors: adoption rates of the AIaaS platform, revenue generation for participating schools, engagement metrics on the NFHS Network, and the breadth of sports receiving consistent coverage. The companies project that AI-driven personalization will drive those metrics upward, though the youth sports market will ultimately determine whether automated production and artificial intelligence deliver on their promise to transform how communities experience high school athletics.
via: Pixellot
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