Home games to be broadcast live

Mount Royal University and Cougar Athletics are proud to announce their new partnership with Stretch Internet, a highly reputable live-streaming online broadcast service that will bring Cougar games into the homes and onto the mobile devices of Cougar fans, no matter where they are.

Beginning in the fall of 2011, the Cougar men and women’s basketball, hockey, soccer and volleyball games will be broadcast live using Stretch Internet, a web-based, customer-service oriented company that prides itself on the quality of its live streams and its user-friendly interface. Stretch Internet provides its services to well over 50 NCAA Division I schools in the United States, including Florida State University, Yale, and the University of North Carolina.

The new partnership is a big step towards Mount Royal University and Cougar Athletics’ impending transition into the Canada West Universities Athletics Association (CWUAA) in the fall of 2012. Stretch Internet and Canada West have also partnered up to create www.canadawest.tv, a site specifically dedicated to broadcasting all Canada West games over the web in the highest quality possible. Not only will Cougar fans be able to watch their favourite Cougar matchups, they can also get a glimpse into the level of competition that the other Canada West member schools have to offer.

Perhaps one of the most exciting features of Stretch Internet is its ability to broadcast to any device running an Apple OS, which includes the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Additionally, Stretch Internet operates on Flash 10.1, an application found on most Android-powered mobile devices. Cougar fans can now watch their teams compete from anywhere, without sacrificing the quality of the live stream.

In addition to live coverage of Cougar games, Stretch Internet also includes a live scoreboard and statistics in the same window – truly creating a one-stop platform for following Cougar game-night action. All broadcasts will be archived and available on demand immediately following the conclusion of the broadcast, and select games will feature live blog and chat capabilities.

The weekly webcasts are some of the many changes Cougar Athletics will make as they attempt to elevate their profile as a bona fide athletics program worthy of a spot in the CWUAA.

Kyle Henry, Sports Information Coordinator for Cougar Athletics, expects the weekly broadcasts to expand the fan base and raise the general level of excitement surrounding the Cougars this season.

“Ultimately we want as many fans as possible to attend the games in person, but for those unable to attend, i.e. the parents of our student-athletes who live out of town, the live-video stream will allow them to watch their sons and daughters compete every week. The smartphone capabilities that Stretch Internet offers should carry widespread appeal, and I think that overall this will be an extremely valuable tool that should translate into a bigger fan base both online and at live events.”

Cougar fans can log onto the live broadcasts at our Cougars web portal,  beginning with the women’s and men’s soccer home openers on Saturday, September 24 at 12:00 and 2:00 p.m.