D-EVN works through the NFHS Network

So, what is the NFHS Network?

The NFHS Network began in August 2013 (see more information here: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/company). The “NFHS” stands for “National Federation of High Schools”, and is the national governing body of the various state-level High School Leagues and Organizations (https://www.nfhs.org/). The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL: https://www.mshsl.org/) is a part of the NFHS, and Dover-Eyota began using the NFHS Network for livestream productions in November 2015.

The NFHS Network got started with a sizable number of those State Organizations signing on to support it. Video productions by any school on the NFHS Network can be viewed by any user once they have a login, or a subscription. But for 2021-2022, a subscription will not be needed to watch Dover-Eyota home events that D-EVN produces.

The NFHS Network has provided the software for productions and an online “portal” for the schools to use for fans and parents to find and view the videos the school creates. The software, the portal and technical support the schools receive are provided to the schools for free. For 2021-2022 and into the next few years, the NFHS Network offered schools two free Pixellot automated camera systems to use, which should greatly reduce the need for volunteers, and allow the school/D-EVN to consistently show every home event. Having this capability also has allowed for the sponsorships of events (see “Sponsoring D-EVN”)! The NFHS network is supported through the use of membership subscriptions (which gets split with the schools), and/or school-based “licensing” which allows the school to make their productions (home events) free to watch for anyone with an NFHS account log-in. Schools are also free to augment their production budgets by having paid “sponsors” (kind of like “commercials”), and the schools can keep all of that revenue if it is generated that way. Watch a promo video done by the NFHS Network (it even has a spitting image of the Dover-Eyota Eagle mascot in it!)

Beginning with the 2021-2022 School Year, the Pixellot cameras automate broadcasts and scoring graphics. But schools do have to provide the equipment to create productions where the Pixellots aren’t available: a computer to run the software that helps with the producing and uploading of the video, a camera, a capture device that connects the camera to the computer, and equipment (such as headsets and an audio mixer) for announcers. And of course, the school has to provide the people to run the equipment! (See the Help D-EVN area to be one of those volunteers!)

Dover-Eyota schools and D-EVN are excited to be in partnership with the NFHS Network to help us produce events for Dover-Eyota and our communities for the next several years, and possibly beyond!