Learning About the Future of Sports Streaming with David Holder

For this assignment, I reached out to David Holder, who was my travel baseball coach from ages 12 to 14. Over the years, Dave has remained a close friend of mine and my family, and we have stayed in touch consistently. It worked out well that he now works in the sports broadcasting realm, which made him a great professional contact for this assignment.

When I contacted Dave, I explained that this was for a sports communication class and asked if he would be willing to serve as my professional connection throughout the semester. Because we already had a strong relationship, the conversation was comfortable but also professional. It gave me the opportunity to see him not just as a former coach, but as someone working inside the sport media industry.

Dave currently works with Company Home Team Network (HTN), a sports streaming company that started about four years ago focusing on youth sports but has quickly expanded. Today, HTN streams 42 different sports, and 72 percent of its content now comes from professional sports. Instead of using large production crews like traditional networks, HTN installs automated cameras or uses portable systems at high schools and other venues. Their platform provides instant playback, automated scoring and stats, and performance metrics that can even compare teams. Broadcasters can work remotely or on site, and content can be streamed in multiple languages. The company operates primarily on a subscription-based model, making it more cost-effective than traditional broadcasting.

Dave shared that HTN has signed schools like Butler to stream most of their sports and has even shipped equipment internationally. Hearing that showed me how global and scalable sports streaming has become.

When I asked about his path into the industry, Dave emphasized networking. He said opportunities came from building relationships and being open to different roles. In his current position in finance and accounting, he works with multiple departments to make sure operations run smoothly.

He believes streaming will continue to grow over the next five to ten years, especially as colleges look for more affordable ways to broadcast sports. One thing that stood out to me was how faster access to highlights can directly impact an athlete’s social media presence and branding. As a college athlete, that connection between sport communication and personal branding really hit home.

This experience reminded me that relationships matter in sports. It shows how small the sport industry really is.

Our 14u travel team in Hoover, AL