In an April 28 meeting of Fort Frances Town Council, a bylaw was enacted to sign an agreement with LiveBarn Inc. to provide online video streaming services for the Ice For Kids Arena and ‘52 Canadians arena.
At the April 14 meeting of council, a report was presented by Human Resources Manager/Interim Recreation and Culture Manager Elisa McLeod which recommended LiveBarn over other options.
According to the report, streaming from the arenas has been requested by different groups.
“Administration has been approached by multiple user groups such as Fort Frances Minor Hockey and many members of the public to install live streaming options in both the IFK and 52 Arenas with a recommendation of LiveBarn Inc. to provide the service,” the report read.
According to the report, staff explored different options to find what might be the best option for the community.
One of the other options which was discussed was TbayTel Arena Live, which is a free service accessible via YouTube, while LiveBarn requires a subscription to access.
However, the report indicates that many arenas in the region already have LiveBarn set up and parents are already subscribed or would be willing to subscribe, the report notes.
“LiveBarn is a streaming provider for surrounding areas like International Falls, Dryden, Thunder Bay and Kenora. LiveBarn has a significant presence in sports facilities across North America,” the report said.
“There is a cost associated for users who wish to subscribe, which was communicated with user groups. User groups were aware of these costs, and were prepared to subscribe to these services and support the Town entering an agreement with LiveBarn.”
While being more expensive, LiveBarn also offers more features than the free TbayTel service would, according to the report:
“LiveBarn offers the most features for our users including; streaming services reviewed, with puck tracking technology, play statistics availability, session recording, session black outs for privacy while still being able to record for groups, the highest quality equipment and the vast network throughout North America,” the report stated.
“Blackouts for privacy would be specifically beneficial for figure skating groups, as the camera would be able to still record practices and these recordings could be used for technical review with athletes and coaches.”
Another time the feeds could be blacked out is during games which have another video streaming partner like the Fort Frances Lakers feed on SIHJL.tv.
LiveBarn will come at no cost to the Town of Fort Frances, as the company installs and maintains its own equipment, not even using the Town’s internet service at the Memorial Sports Complex.
“…LiveBarn installs their own materials at no cost to the municipality, including a secure internet connection separate to the Town of Fort Frances network, ensuring high quality broadcasting bandwidth and is not dependent on the Towns infrastructure,” the report says.
The Town of Fort Frances does have the opportunity to profit from the installation of LiveBarn, according to the report, which may have been part of the reason it was chosen over a free service.
“The Town of Fort Frances receives 30 percent profit on any subscriptions utilizing the Town of Fort Frances promotional code which also gives subscribers a 10 percent discount,” the report said under its ‘financial and resource implications’ section.
As the bylaw to sign the contract was only signed recently, the Town of Fort Frances will likely release information regarding its promotional code and the availability of the streams as that information becomes available.
For more information on LiveBarn’s subscription rates, visit livebarn.com.
