UConn's New On-Demand Sports Video Platform Makes Its Debut

STORRS, CT —The University of Connecticut's new sports-centric on-demand and live-streaming video platform called UConn+ made its debut Tuesday.

The new service is what UConn officials are billing as "a first-of-its-kind in college athletics." The service combines live and original content like features, live events, profiles, coaches' shows, highlights and other on-demand content.

UConn+ is available via web browsers at uconnplus.tv. In March, it will be the exclusive outlet for live streaming of all home UConn baseball and softball home games.

The university's partner in this endeavor, Sidearm Sports, is continuing final technical development of new 'over-the-top' user interfaces for Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku, which are nearing completion and expected to be available next month. A mobile-friendly UConn+ app also is in development.

"UConn already boasts championship programs and provides top-quality experiences in state-of-the-art venues for fans and student-athletes alike," UConn Director of Athletics David Benedict said while announcing the service in November. "With UConn+, we're adding the capability to engage UConn Nation with exclusive feature content and live sports like never before. This platform will only strengthen our global brand and create more opportunities for success."

While UConn will develop much of the programming internally – including coaches shows, news conferences and other mini-features, Learfield Studios has placed production staff on the ground in Storrs supported by a central production team. The dedicated crew will produce more in-depth feature programs, including content geared toward showcasing the various aspects of life as a student-athlete on campus like the popular series "The Breakdown," a five-part mini-series about 2022 UConn Football training camp, and "The Standard," a new mini-series that offers an inside look at UConn women's basketball. "Marching On" is more recent periodic program keeping fans current on the UConn men's basketball season, and several additional programs on new student-athletes, historical features, coaches interviews, and a series on UConn baseball are all in the works.

"UConn+ can be a game-changer for the university," said Tysen Kendig, UConn's Vice President for Communications. "Content is unquestionably king, and our audiences increasingly have a thirst for more video, more features, and more multimodal, on-demand ways to consume it. UConn+ is changing the way we produce and deliver content."

Beyond athletics, UConn+ also will spotlight non-sports programs. Initial programming concepts include a research magazine, a talk-show podcast about UConn people and programs, and health features. An interview series hosted by President Radenka Maric, "Worth Repeating," is already in production with several episodes already having been released.

Officials said to stay tuned to uconnhuskies.com and UConn's social media platforms for more information on developments with UConn+ in the weeks ahead.