UPDATE: Complimentary PCS Pro Recreational Live Streaming and Video Highlights for 2022 Season

Important update on 2022 Fees

Last week NV Play announced the launch of new premium video highlights & live streaming offerings for all Play-Cricket Scorer Pro (PCS Pro) users across England and Wales.

This announcement raised questions in some quarters of the recreational cricket community. We have been listening, and have spoken to many in the community over the past week.

We have good news!  After positive discussions with our long time partners at the ECB, it has been decided to defer the introduction of fees until the 2023 season.

Which means free PCS Pro Live Streaming & Video Highlights for everyone in 2022!

Going forward into the 2023 season, please note that these premium video offerings will be subject to licencing fees as previously announced:

• NV Play Live Streaming for PCS Pro ...... £500 per season
• NV Play Video Highlights for PCS Pro .... £100 per season

Significant discounts are available for multi-year commitments, drop us an email at enquiries@nvplay.com to find out more.

In more good news, we will also explore options for introducing a new lower cost ‘lite’ recreational streaming package ahead of next season, that should meet the needs of many.  We have some ideas here, but for now please enjoy the full streaming experience for 2022.

On top of this, we are also planning on launching a club focussed performance offering ahead of 2023, for those that are really serious about their cricket.  Watch this space.

We trust that this extra season of no cost streaming gives clubs a chance to build their streaming audiences & potentially develop new sponsorship opportunities as the value of your streaming content grows.

We look forward to working with clubs, schools, universities and academies who are keen to embrace video for both fan engagement & performance purposes to further enhance the game of cricket across England and Wales.

Please feel free to email enquiries@nvplay.com with any questions or to arrange a call to discuss your video or streaming needs further.

Wishing everyone a fantastic 2022 season. Good luck and play well!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is live streaming not free for PCS Pro users?

Since 2018, ECB have contracted NV Play to deliver the Play-Cricket Scorer Pro (PCS Pro), a powerful professional scoring system which is a subset of the larger NV Play cricket technology platform.

ECB’s PCS Pro is centred around a robust cricket scoring toolset that has been in use at the International level for over a decade. This is extended with a range of professionally focussed tools such as analysis scoring, scoreboard connectivity and deep Play-Cricket integration.

These features form the foundation of PCS Pro and will remain free to all ECB affiliated recreational users as long as our partnership with ECB remains in place. Additional platform capabilities are made available to Professional users under separate agreements.

Importantly, recreational video capture and live streaming do not form part of ECB’s contract with NV Play, and in fact did not exist in a meaningful way within the wider NV Play platform at the time PCS Pro was launched.

Part of our wider partnership with ECB has been to embrace the open development of new features within the wider platform. Hence the early availability of video capture & live streaming functionality in trial as these capabilities have been built out as part of NV Play’s significant investment in continuous product development.

Key results of this investment include customisable pre-rolls to support sponsorship arrangements, broadcast-grade scoring overlays with automated match stats & milestones, support for up to four cameras within a stream, a powerful Video Package Manager for customised highlights or coaching packages and advanced video analysis capabilities for the professional game.

We are now making a range of optional premium features of the wider NV Play platform available within PCS Pro for those that wish to take their cricket to the next level, including the rollout of the necessary technical infrastructure and technical & product support to back them up.

The first of these to launch are the Live Streaming and Video Highlights packages, with more premium options planned for the future.  As mentioned above, we’re also looking to introduce a new lower cost ‘lite’ recreational live streaming offering head of the 2023 season .

We understand that there are alternative grassroots streaming options in the market, and those with the appropriate skills and resources are able to implement their own live streaming. We encourage everyone to evaluate all options available to them, and make their own conclusions regarding what platform is the best fit for their needs.

If you would like to discuss your needs further, drop us an email on enquiries@nvplay.com and we’ll be happy to discuss further.

What does this mean for the 2022 season?

First of all, this means that you can continue streaming – or get started with video for the first time – with no fees for the upcoming 2022 season.

With the launch of PCS Pro 5.0 in the coming weeks, you will notice that the video features previously available for trial will not be enabled by default, and you will need to get these turned on.

This will be a really simple process, just follow the steps outlined within the PCS Pro video display panel or select the new Help > Upgrade My Licence menu option.

To help make it even easier, if you have streamed at least one game with PCS Pro before, we will reach out to you in the coming weeks & help get you all set up ahead of the start of the season.

But I live streamed last season, why do I need to enable video now?

Good question! PCS Pro 5.0 introduces an expanded licencing model that allows us more granular control over specific features within the platform. PCS Pro itself includes a broad range of powerful professional scoring & analysis features that have been helping deliver the elite game for over a decade, and nothing changes here. But we will now be specifically enabling additional premium features such as live streaming or video highlights on a Club by Club basis.

Again, if you have streamed at least one game with PCS Pro during 2021, we will reach out to you & help get you all set up ahead of the start of the 2022 season.

If I set this up now, does this mean that I have to agree to pay in 2023?

No! We do need to enable the appropriate licence within the NV Play platform to get you up and running this season, but this is at no cost for 2022 and you are under no obligation to continue in 2023 unless you and/or your club wish to.

We’ll be in touch following the completion of the 2022 season with steps if you wish to continue into 2023.

Can we live stream every game our Club plays?

Yes, you most certainly can. But there may be some additional costs involved in 2023 depending on exactly what you want to do.

Licences for both Live Streaming and Video Highlights are based on concurrent games, meaning that you can stream or capture one match at a time. If you wish to capture or stream multiple matches at the same time, multiple licences will be required. But you can stream matches for multiple teams on a single licence, as long as they are played at different times e.g. 1st XI on Saturday followed by 2nd XI on Sunday.

Obviously, you will also require a full camera setup for each game you wish to stream. Check out NV Play’s range of curated camera kits to find the right fit for your needs.

Feel free to email enquiries@nvplay.com if you have any questions about how this works or may apply to the specific needs of your Club.

I’m a freelance scorer and work for lots of clubs. What does this mean for me?

While Live Streaming and Video Highlights licences are usually held directly with clubs, we understand that there are a number of scorers that work across multiple clubs.

If this situation applies to you, please email us on enquiries@nvplay.com with details about your situation and we’ll make sure you’re good to go.

I’m a club scorer most of the time but work for First Class teams sometimes. What does this mean for me?

First Class Counties are covered by a different ECB agreement and have access to professional Live Streaming and an expanded range of performance analysis capabilities. When working for these Counties, you should be granted access to these professional tools.