HometownLive FAQ for Texas Schools — UIL Sports Streaming

These answers are written for Texas athletic directors, district technology coordinators, and activity directors navigating UIL sports streaming. If you do not find what you need here, use the Contact Us form at platform.hometownlive.tv to reach the HometownLive team directly.

UIL Compliance and Broadcast Rights

Does HometownLive work for UIL member schools?

Yes. HometownLive is built for schools exactly like yours — UIL member programs ranging from small six-man football districts to large 6A suburban campuses. The platform handles streaming delivery, fan access, and monetization. Your school controls the content, the branding, and the revenue.

Setup uses standard RTMP streaming, which is compatible with OBS, the TKDS Streaming App, and most hardware encoders already in use at Texas schools.

Is HometownLive compliant with UIL streaming rules?

HometownLive provides the platform and delivery infrastructure — your school is responsible for ensuring what you stream complies with UIL rules. The University Interscholastic League publishes broadcast guidelines that cover regular-season games, postseason events, and fine arts competitions. Review those guidelines with your district administration before going live with any UIL event.

HometownLive does not impose additional restrictions on content. The platform is neutral — it streams what you send it. Compliance decisions rest with the school and district.

Tip: Designate one person at your school — typically the athletic director or activities coordinator — to review UIL broadcast guidelines each season. UIL updates its rules periodically, and what was permitted last year may have changed.

Can Texas schools stream UIL state playoff games?

UIL controls broadcast rights for postseason and state championship events. Schools should contact UIL directly to confirm what streaming is permitted for a specific playoff round or championship event before going live.

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

Comparing HometownLive to NFHS Network

How does HometownLive compare to NFHS Network for Texas schools?

NFHS Network is the most common alternative for Texas UIL schools, so this comparison comes up often.

	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 controls the relationship with your fans. With HometownLive, fans go to your school's platform — no third-party account, no subscription, no competing content from other programs. With NFHS Network, fans subscribe to NFHS to watch your games alongside every other school in the country.

For many Texas schools, keeping fans on their own branded platform and retaining ad revenue more than offsets the annual platform cost.

Monetization

Can Texas schools monetize their UIL sports streams?

Yes. HometownLive supports two monetization options:

• Pay-Per-View: Charge fans a one-time fee to watch a specific event. You set the price. You keep the revenue.
• Advertising: Run pre-roll or display ads on your platform. Sponsors can be local businesses that already support your program.

Monetization is opt-in. Most schools keep regular-season games free and use PPV selectively for high-demand events. Either way, HometownLive does not take a cut of your ad revenue the way a third-party network would.

See the Monetization chapter for setup details.

Serving Your Fan Base

How do fans in military families or overseas watch Texas games?

HometownLive streams over the public internet to any browser, on any device, anywhere in the world. A fan at a military installation in Germany can open a browser and watch your Friday night game the same way a parent in the stands does — no VPN, no app install, no subscription required.

This matters for Texas schools with large alumni networks or programs that draw families stationed far from home. The free, no-login model means there is no barrier between your broadcast and your community, wherever they are.

Can Texas fans watch on Roku?

Yes. Every HometownLive subscription includes a Roku channel. Fans search for your school's channel in the Roku Channel Store, add it, and watch on their TV. See Watching on Roku for viewer instructions, and Live Channels for how to enable the Roku option on each channel you create.

Specific Programs and Formats

Can we stream six-man football on HometownLive?

Yes. Six-man football programs in West Texas and other rural areas use HometownLive exactly like larger campuses. The platform setup is identical regardless of sport or format — you configure your channels, connect your encoder, and stream.

Rural schools often face a more significant challenge than urban ones: internet connectivity at the stadium. See the next section on Friday night football setup for tips on working with limited connectivity.

What are the streaming requirements for Friday night football at a Texas stadium?

Streaming from a high school football stadium in Texas usually means planning around two variables: camera position and internet access.

Camera and encoder:

• Any camera with HDMI or SDI output works
• OBS on a laptop is the most common free encoder option
• Hardware encoders (Teradek, Magewell, etc.) are more reliable for long events

Internet:

• Wired Ethernet at the press box is ideal — if your stadium has a fiber run, use it
• A cellular LTE/5G hotspot is a reliable fallback; test it at game time during the week before, not the night of the game
• Budget for at least 5–10 Mbps upload; more if you want 1080p

Tip: Run a full test stream — camera, encoder, and internet — the week before your first game. Discovering a connectivity problem on a Tuesday beats discovering it at 7:45 PM on a Friday night.

Can we stream UIL band, choir, and theater competitions?

Yes. HometownLive is not limited to athletics. Texas schools use it for marching band, choir concerts, theater productions, graduation ceremonies, and school board meetings. The platform works for any live event you want to broadcast.

For UIL-sanctioned fine arts competitions, the same broadcast rights principle applies as with athletics: check with UIL and your district to confirm what you are permitted to stream. For school-hosted fine arts events where your school controls the rights, there are no restrictions from the platform side.

District Setup and Getting Started

How do we set up HometownLive for a Texas school district with multiple campuses?

HometownLive offers district-wide licensing designed for Texas districts that have multiple high schools or a mix of high schools and middle schools. Each campus can have:

• Its own branded platform (logo, colors, domain)
• Its own channels (varsity football, JV basketball, swim, etc.)
• Its own event calendar

All of this is managed under a single district subscription, which simplifies billing and makes it easier for district IT to support all campuses.

Contact HometownLive to discuss a multi-campus agreement. Pricing is negotiated based on the number of campuses and channels.

What does HometownLive cost for a Texas school?

• 2-channel plan: approximately $2,995/year
• 4-channel plan: approximately $4,500/year
• District licensing: available — contact HometownLive for a custom quote

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 Texas school or district get started?

Visit hometownlive.tv to request a demo or reach out to 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 schools are fully operational within a few days of signing. If your season is starting soon, reach out early — setup takes time, and your first event will go more smoothly with a test stream behind you.