HometownLive FAQ for Kentucky Schools — KHSAA Sports Streaming

These answers are written for Kentucky athletic directors, activities directors, and district technology coordinators working with Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) member programs. Kentucky's relationship with basketball is not an exaggeration — it is a documented cultural reality, the kind where towns are identified by their team colors and the Sweet 16 state tournament is a genuine statewide event. Small-town Kentucky communities are among the most tight-knit in the country, and many have watched their graduates leave for Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati, and other cities for work, particularly from eastern Kentucky coal communities. Streaming is not a convenience for these schools — it is a lifeline between the community that stayed and the community that left. These questions address those realities directly.

If you do not find what you need, use the Contact Us form at platform.hometownlive.tv to reach HometownLive directly.

KHSAA Compliance and Broadcast Rights

Does HometownLive work for KHSAA member schools in Kentucky?

Yes. HometownLive is built for KHSAA member schools across Kentucky's full classification system — from Class 6A programs in Jefferson County, Fayette County, and the Louisville and Lexington suburbs to Class A schools in eastern Kentucky where the gym holds four hundred people, fills to capacity every home game, and produces the kind of community loyalty that larger programs can only attempt to manufacture.

The platform handles streaming delivery, fan access, and monetization while your school controls the content, the branding, and the revenue. Fans watch free with no login required. The Roku channel is included in every subscription, so fans can find your school's channel in the Roku Channel Store and watch on a living room television — no smart TV required, no streaming subscription, no account to create.

HometownLive uses standard RTMP streaming, compatible with OBS, the TKDS Streaming App, and most hardware encoders already in use at Kentucky schools.

Can Kentucky schools stream KHSAA state tournament games — including the Sweet 16?

KHSAA controls broadcast rights for state tournament events, including the Sweet 16 boys and girls basketball tournaments. Schools should contact KHSAA directly to confirm what streaming is permitted before broadcasting any KHSAA postseason game. The Sweet 16 is a statewide event with existing broadcast relationships — it is one of the most-watched high school sports events in any state in the country, and those broadcast rights are managed at the KHSAA level.

HometownLive does not impose its own restrictions on postseason content — that determination belongs to KHSAA and your district administration. The platform can be ready the moment your rights are confirmed.

Tip: Contact your KHSAA district representative early in November — before the basketball season is underway — to understand what tournament and district streaming your school is permitted to do. When your team makes a run to Rupp Arena, you do not want to be reading the broadcast policy the night before a regional final. Know the rules before the season starts.

What KHSAA rules apply to regular-season game streaming?

KHSAA rules for regular-season streaming are generally more permissive than tournament rules. Always confirm current guidelines with your school's athletic administrator. HometownLive does not have an exclusive broadcast relationship with KHSAA — the platform is available to any member school for regular-season streaming without restriction from the platform side.

Comparing HometownLive to NFHS Network

How does HometownLive compare to NFHS Network for Kentucky schools?

NFHS Network is the most common alternative Kentucky KHSAA schools evaluate when choosing a streaming platform. Here is a direct comparison:

	HometownLive	NFHS Network
Fan cost	Free (no login required)	Subscription required
Ad revenue	School keeps it	Network keeps it
Roku channel	Included	Not included
ScoreBird overlay	Included	Not included
School branding	Full control	Co-branded with NFHS

The core difference is who owns the relationship with your fans. With HometownLive, fans come to your school's platform — no third-party subscription, no competing content from programs in other states. With NFHS Network, fans pay a monthly fee to a national company to watch your games alongside thousands of other schools.

For Kentucky schools in communities where a meaningful portion of the fan base has left for economic reasons — eastern Kentucky graduates in Lexington, Louisville, or Ohio — the subscription barrier is a real obstacle. A fan who moved away to find work is not going to pay a monthly subscription fee to watch the hometown team. A free, no-login stream reaches that fan. A paywall does not.

Kentucky Basketball — The Sweet 16 and Beyond

How does HometownLive serve Kentucky's basketball culture?

Kentucky high school basketball is to Kentucky what high school football is to Texas — and that is not hyperbole, it is history. The Sweet 16 state tournament, held each March at Rupp Arena in Lexington, is one of the highest-attended high school basketball events in the country. Small schools in Kentucky produce NBA players. The gym at a rural Kentucky school is the most important building in town.

HometownLive is built for this reality. Fans watch free from any browser on any device with no login required. An alumna who graduated from a small eastern Kentucky school fifteen years ago and now lives in Louisville can watch every home game this season from her couch, with one click, at no cost. A grandfather who can no longer make the drive can watch on a Roku TV in his living room. There is no account to create, no subscription to manage, and no barrier between the fan and the game.

Camera setup for gymnasium basketball:

• An elevated corner or press box position gives the best full-court view
• Avoid court-level camera placement — officials and players will constantly block sightlines
• Test your camera's white balance before the first broadcast; older Kentucky gymnasium lighting varies and automatic white balance can produce inaccurate color

Tip: Kentucky's old gymnasiums are some of the best natural broadcasting environments in the country — low wooden ceilings, close bleachers, loud crowds. A directional microphone aimed at the announcer table captures the announcer clearly while letting the crowd noise come through naturally. Don't fight the crowd — it's one of the best parts of the broadcast.

Can Kentucky schools use ScoreBird to display live scores during basketball streams?

Yes. ScoreBird integration displays live quarter scores and running totals as an overlay directly on the HometownLive video player. Remote fans see the score in real time — the same information fans in the gym see on the scoreboard — without waiting for a broadcaster to announce it. For Kentucky basketball where every possession matters, live score overlays significantly improve the remote viewing experience.

See Events for ScoreBird configuration details.

Can Kentucky schools stream girls basketball on HometownLive?

Yes. Kentucky girls basketball is strong, and HometownLive works for girls basketball exactly the same way it works for boys basketball — same camera setup, same encoder, same platform. There is no separate configuration and no separate fee. For Kentucky programs that want to give girls basketball the same broadcast treatment as boys basketball, that is fully supported without additional complexity.

Can Kentucky schools stream district tournament games on HometownLive?

District tournament games are a significant part of the path to the Sweet 16. KHSAA governs broadcast rights for district and regional tournament play. Contact KHSAA directly to confirm what your school is permitted to stream at each level of the postseason bracket. For regular-season conference games and home invitational tournaments that fall within your school's rights to broadcast, HometownLive is fully ready.

Small-Town Kentucky and Alumni Communities

How does HometownLive help small-town Kentucky schools reach alumni who have moved to cities?

Kentucky's small-town communities are among the most loyal fan bases in the country. Alumni from small schools in Pike County, Harlan County, Elliott County, and hundreds of similar communities carry their school identity with them wherever they go — to Louisville, to Lexington, to Cincinnati, to wherever their career took them.

HometownLive connects all of them. A graduate who grew up in Hazard, Paintsville, or Martin and now lives in Lexington can watch every game — basketball, football, whatever the school broadcasts — from a browser, completely free, with no account required. There is nothing to install and nothing to pay. They find your school's platform with a link and watch.

The Roku channel is particularly valuable for this audience. An alumna who moved to Louisville can find your school's channel in the Roku Channel Store, add it once, and it is there on her television every season — no smart TV required, no additional subscription.

How does HometownLive help fans who cannot make long drives to away games?

Kentucky geography — particularly in the eastern mountains — means that away games can require significant travel. A fan whose school plays in Knott County or Floyd County facing a two-hour round-trip drive in the mountains will not make every game. Streaming is not a backup option for those fans — it is often the primary way they follow away games.

HometownLive streams over the public internet to any browser on any device, anywhere. The no-login model means that a family member who works a shift, a parent without a car, and a grandparent who cannot drive all have the same friction-free access to the stream. There is no account to create, no subscription fee, and no barrier between the fan and the game.

See Live Channels for channel setup and Watching on Roku for viewer instructions to share with your community.

Eastern Kentucky and Coal Country Schools

How does HometownLive serve eastern Kentucky schools in economically challenged communities?

Eastern Kentucky schools — particularly in the former coal-producing communities of Pike, Harlan, Leslie, Knott, Floyd, and Martin counties — have some of the most passionate sports communities in the state, and some of the most challenging economic circumstances. Sports programs, particularly basketball, are often the emotional center of communities that have faced significant economic hardship over the past generation.

For these schools, HometownLive's free, no-login model matters in a way it does not for wealthier suburban districts. A streaming platform that charges fans a monthly subscription fee creates a real barrier for community members who are managing tight household budgets. HometownLive is free for every fan, every game, every device. There is no paywall standing between a family in Harlan County and their school's basketball broadcast.

For schools in these communities, streaming also connects them to graduates who left for economic opportunities elsewhere — the alumni community in Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, or further afield that still identifies deeply with the hometown school. That diaspora audience is real, it is loyal, and the no-subscription model is what actually reaches them.

Does HometownLive work with limited or variable internet connectivity in rural eastern Kentucky?

HometownLive requires a reliable upload connection at the streaming location — not at viewers' homes. Viewers can watch on any broadband or cellular connection, and the platform adapts to their download speed. The question is your upload speed at the venue.

Recommendations for venues with variable connectivity:

• A wired Ethernet connection at the gym or press area is the most reliable option — if your building has fiber or cable, use it
• A cellular LTE or 5G hotspot is the practical alternative; test signal strength at the specific location during the week before your first game, not on game night
• A 4G backup hotspot from a second carrier is worth having for important games — if one carrier has weak signal in your valley or building, another may not
• HometownLive recommends at least 5 Mbps upload for a reliable stream; 10 Mbps or more is better for 1080p

Tip: Cell coverage in eastern Kentucky varies significantly by valley and elevation. What works at your front office may not work in the gym, and what works at the gym may not work at your outdoor stadium. Test each location independently before the season begins.

Louisville and Lexington Metro Schools

How does HometownLive serve large Louisville and Lexington metro districts?

Louisville and Lexington each have large multi-school districts with active athletic programs, established booster organizations, and fan bases that span broad metropolitan areas. For these districts, HometownLive offers district-wide licensing that coordinates streaming across multiple campuses under a single agreement.

Under a district agreement:

• Each school gets its own branded platform (logo, colors, domain)
• Each school manages its own channels and event calendar
• Billing is consolidated under a single district agreement

For Jefferson County and Fayette County schools, district-wide licensing means consistent streaming standards across campuses, consolidated IT management, and a single contract rather than individual school agreements. Contact HometownLive to discuss district-level pricing and deployment options for larger Kentucky metro districts.

Football in Kentucky

Can Kentucky schools stream football on HometownLive?

Yes. Kentucky football has grown significantly in profile over the past decade, and HometownLive works for football programs at every classification level — from Class 6A programs in Louisville and Lexington to small Class A eight-player programs in mountain counties.

Camera and encoder setup for football:

• Any camera with HDMI or SDI output
• OBS on a laptop or a dedicated hardware encoder
• Hardware encoders (Teradek, Magewell) are more reliable for long outdoor events — a three-hour Friday night game in October or November demands stable hardware

Internet at the stadium:

• A wired Ethernet connection at the press box is ideal — if your stadium has a fiber run, use it
• A cellular LTE/5G hotspot is a reliable alternative; test signal at press-box height during the week before your first game
• Budget at least 5–10 Mbps upload speed

Tip: Kentucky's November playoff nights can be cold and wet. If your press box is exposed, protect your encoder and laptop from rain. A hardware encoder in a weatherproof case is a better investment than a laptop for programs that stream late into the playoff bracket.

Football streaming also generates strong advertising revenue for Kentucky booster clubs. Local businesses — car dealers, banks, agriculture suppliers — reach a highly engaged local audience through pre-roll and display ads on your school's platform. See the Monetization chapter for advertising configuration.

Booster Clubs and Monetization

Can Kentucky booster clubs generate revenue through HometownLive streaming?

Yes. HometownLive's revenue model is built around keeping money in your community, not sending it to a national network.

HometownLive supports two monetization models:

• Pay-Per-View: Set a ticket price for a specific event. Fans pay once and watch on any device. Your school or booster club keeps the revenue. High-demand rivalry games, homecoming broadcasts, and tournaments your school hosts are natural PPV candidates. Alumni who are willing to pay a few dollars to watch the hometown team from another city are your core PPV audience.
• Advertising: Run pre-roll or display ads on your platform. Local businesses that already sponsor your game program, the gym scoreboard, or the booster club's silent auction are natural streaming advertisers. Streaming ad revenue is a supplement to, not a replacement for, existing booster club fundraising.

Monetization is fully optional. Many Kentucky schools keep regular-season content free to maximize viewership — especially for eastern Kentucky communities where subscription barriers have real impact — and use PPV selectively for high-demand matchups.

The revenue stays with your school and booster club, not with a national network.

See the Monetization chapter for setup and pricing configuration.

Who handles music licensing if our broadcast includes copyrighted music?

Music licensing — ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC — is the streaming organization's responsibility, not HometownLive's. If your broadcast includes copyrighted music during pregame warmups, halftime, or breaks between quarters, consult your district's legal counsel about licensing obligations before your first broadcast. This applies to any sport, not just basketball.

Getting Started in Kentucky

What does HometownLive cost for a Kentucky school?

• 2-channel plan: approximately $2,995/year
• 4-channel plan: approximately $4,500/year
• District-wide licensing: available — contact HometownLive for a custom quote based on your district's size

These prices include the Roku channel, ScoreBird scoring overlay integration, and full platform access. There are no per-stream or per-viewer fees.

How does a Kentucky school get started with HometownLive?

Visit hometownlive.tv to request a demo or contact the sales team. Onboarding typically includes:

1. Platform provisioning and branding setup
2. Training for your streaming staff
3. A test stream before your first live event

Most Kentucky schools are fully operational within a few days of signing. If basketball season is approaching — and in Kentucky, that means November cannot come fast enough — reach out early. A test stream before your first game gives you confidence that the camera, encoder, and connectivity work before there is a crowd in the gym and a score on the board. Rupp Arena waits for no one, and neither does the district tournament bracket.