MPA extends broadcast, streaming deals for high school basketball tourney

AUGUSTA — Maine’s high school basketball state championship games will continue to be televised around the state and streamed around the world for the next three years, according to an agreement announced last week by the Maine Principals’ Association.

The MPA and Maine Public Broadcasting Network have entered an agreement for 2017, 2018 and 2019 stipulating that all five classes of state championship contests in the boys and girls ranks will be carried live on MPBN-TV, MPA executive director Dick Durost said in a press release.

“This agreement continues the decades-long relationship between the MPA and MPBN,” said Durost. “We are pleased to continue to meet the state-championship needs of Maine high school basketball fans everywhere for another three years.”

“We are very excited to partner with the MPA for the next three years and continue the tradition of covering high school basketball in Maine and we thank them for this opportunity,” added MPBN chief executive officer Mark Vogelzang. “Offering basketball coverage to communities across Maine is very important to us.”

MPBN will broadcast the 10 state championship games live, then re-air all of the contests the Sunday immediately after the Saturday state finals are played.

“Last year’s ‘Championship Weekend’ covering the games on Friday and Saturday followed by rebroadcasting those games on Sunday was well received,” said Vogelzang. “We repeatedly heard from viewers that the chance to watch games they had missed earlier in the weekend on that Sunday was really appreciated.”

The MPA has also reached a three-year extension with the Northeast Sports Network to continue live-streaming all North and South regional semifinal and final basketball games.

“We are excited to once again be working with the MPA and the great student-athletes of Maine in bringing regional semifinals and finals to the web,” said NSN CEO Eric Berry. “We look forward to our partnership with C.N. Brown and the MPA for the next three years and hopefully beyond.”

“The quality of the regional semifinal and final webcasts from all three sites [Bangor, Augusta and Portland] will continue in the capable hands of the NSN crew,” added Durost. “We are especially thankful to the partnership with C.N. Brown that makes this agreement possible.”

All regional basketball quarterfinals will continue to be streamed by the NFHS Network. The MPA has a 10-year agreement with that network that runs through the 2023 basketball tournament.

“These agreements solidify the MPA’s desire to make all postseason basketball tournament games available to anyone, anywhere who cannot make it to one of the three tournament sites,” said Durost. “Families and friends of Maine’s high school student-athletes are the ultimate winners here.”