UIL lifts ban on live video broadcasts of Friday night football games for 2020 season

Jim Klenke

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In a UIL Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday morning, UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt announced the UIL’s ban on live video broadcasts for regular season broadcasts of Friday night football games would be lifted for the 2020 season. 

Dr. Breithaupt, an ardent defender of the UIL’s “Friday Night rule” said, “Friday nights in Texas are a community event and fund raising for multiple organizations takes place at a football game on Friday, we believe that should be protected.” However, due to the current CoVid-19 pandemic and uncertainty on if fans will be allowed back into stadiums across the state this fall, Dr. Breithaupt decided it was best to lift the ban for the 2020 season only.

“By lifting the ban now, we will allow time for the schools to negotiate broadcast rights or allow in-house student broadcast teams time to prepare putting together a quality broadcast,” said Dr. Breithaupt. 

Both schools must agree to the broadcast in advance and all broadcasts must still follow UIL guidelines for radio broadcasts that are posted on the UIL website. The UIL does not own rights to regular season games and won’t be involved in any enforcement activities regarding Friday night broadcasts as that will be the responsibility of the two competing schools. The playoff rules, which the UIL owns the rights to all playoff games will remain in place as they have in previous years. 

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