Urban Edge Network (UEN), a top supplier of live and on-demand sports programming, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) have inked a five-year contract per a press release secured by HBCY Pulse By providing free streaming of NAIA national championships, the agreement will increase the awareness of NAIA sports.
An important aspect of this partnership will be the launch of a special NAIA channel on UEN’s platforms later this fall. Every NAIA national championship will be shown on the channel.
“This agreement enhances the visibility of both UEN and the NAIA, delivering significant exposure through live sports and fostering new engagement opportunities,” said Hardy L. Pelt, UEN founding member and chief revenue officer.
UEN has focused on broadcasting, advertising, and programming for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) since its founding. The NAIA relationship is a component of UEN’s plan to expand its reach into the broadcasting and content of athletics beyond HBCU-specific sports. On Roku, Apple TV, iOS, Android, Samsung Amazon Fire Stick, and Fire TV, users will be able to watch the NAIA channel via the UEN app.
In addition to this deal with NAIA, UEN inked a deal to stream two Kentucky State University games. The two games, which include Kentucky State’s homecoming game on October 5, will be broadcast live on HBCU Plus. HBCU Plus is a free platform dedicated to showcasing the academic, cultural, and athletic achievements of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Continuing their dedication to HBCUs, UEN and Stats Perform created an inaugural HBCU+ FCS National Player of the Year award. This award aims to highlight the talents of HBCU players. There are 129 FCS schools in Division I college football, and 20 players from the schools were chosen as this year’s candidates.
The collaboration with UEN is the first of two initiatives to increase public awareness of and participation in NAIA athletics. The second will be an online NAIA network with a redesigned design that launches in November 2024. The present contract with UEN expires in September 2029.
“Partnering with UEN provides the opportunity to elevate the visibility of both NAIA athletes and the high level of competition amongst our members institutions,” said NAIA President & CEO Jim Carr. “We’re confident that free streaming will increase the association’s reach with college sports fans worldwide and believe UEN is the ideal partner to help us achieve our goal.”
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