Iowa High School Athletic Association at odds with IHSSN

The 2023 Iowa high school state football semifinals are almost here, and a little controversy once again surrounds the broadcast rights to the event.

The Iowa High School Sports Network is, again, being criticized for charging viewers to watch the games, which take place at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls from Nov. 8-11.

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The IHSSN is currently charging $10 plus tax per game to watch the live stream. Purchasing those streams allows one to watch the game on replay for the next 30 days, but an extra fee is required to watch anything past the first month.

There is also an option to buy a pass for the entire state football tournament, which runs from Nov. 8-17. The price for a full tournament pass is $19 plus tax. Again, after 30 days, the rights to watch these games are revoked unless the purchaser pays more.

The IHSSN currently has full broadcasting rights for all Iowa boys’ sports. The Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union broadcasts games for free on Youtube and Iowa Public Television, and replays are made immediately available, also for free.

Although you must pay a fee to watch games on the IHSSN website, the association points out the games are also available to watch on networks that are partnered with the IHSSN. The semifinal agmes will be on Mediacom’s MC22 network, which is a rare find for those in Southeast Iowa.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released a statement in disagreement with the IHSSN, over the network refusing to budge on charging fans to watch the games.

The statement from the IHSAA can be found below.

“"The IHSAA is litigating a media rights dispute with the Iowa High School Sports Network (IHSSN), the current rights holder for select championship events.

"IHSSN plans to charge live streaming viewers of the upcoming IHSAA State Football Semifinals and Finals at the UNI-Dome. We have objected to IHSSN’s live streaming charges since they were announced this summer. The dispute remains ongoing in Polk County District Court.

"The IHSAA will continue to pursue free public access to broadcasts and streaming of its championship events. Until then, attending IHSAA championships allows fans to support our schools in person and ensures purchases go toward student-athlete programs and experiences."

The IHSSN released its own statement about the matter, addressing the lawsuit.

“As the exclusive provider of many Iowa boys’ state championship events, we were disappointed to learn of the recent lawsuit filed against us by IHSAA. It is important to remember that fans will still be able to watch championship games on television for free thanks to our broadcast partners around the state. However, under our new pay-per-view platform, accessing our broadcasts via streaming devices – like phones or tablets – will require a nominal fee, which is in-line with current market rates and the cost of actually attending the event live.

"IHSSN is a privately held company and we have taken significant steps over the last two years to enhance the programming offered; and we believe a move to a new, pay-per-view platform for streaming customers will provide opportunities for us to add even more coverage and features in the future. Given this, we strongly disagree with the merits of this lawsuit."

The first game of the week just happens to involve the Union area’s only team playing at the Dome. Top-ranked Winfield-Mount Union opens up the Class 8-Player semifinals with a contest against Bishop Garrigan on Wednesday at 10 a.m.