New initiative puts NECC community members at the center of the broadcast experience, providing students with hands-on opportunities in collegiate esports production
The National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) is excited to announce the launch of the NECC Second Stream, a new community-driven broadcast initiative that will provide students within the NECC community the opportunity to staff all roles in the production and streaming of collegiate esports broadcasts.
The NECC’s Second Stream is set to begin during the fall semester.
Unlike the primary NECC broadcast, which is produced and staffed by the conference and its employees, the NECC Second Stream will be managed and operated entirely by members of the NECC community.
The inaugural semester will feature students from The University of Oklahoma and Paradise Valley Community College, who will help bring NECC competition to life for viewers and fans, while gaining practical experience working in a live esports production environment.
The initiative is designed to create additional opportunities for students to gain valuable, real-world experience in broadcasting, production, commentary, and other areas of esports media.
“We’re incredibly excited to officially announce the NECC Second Stream,” said Jacob VanRyn, NECC Commissioner. “This idea has been discussed internally for a while and to see it get to the point of being integrated into our efforts this semester is truly awesome.
VanRyn continued, “The Second Stream gives students in our community a chance to grow, learn, and develop their skills while getting real-world experience that can help prepare them for future opportunities in esports, broadcasting, production and media. I want to thank The University of Oklahoma and Paradise Valley Community College for their willingness and enthusiasm to participate in this effort with us.”
The NECC Second Stream is intended to complement the conference's primary broadcast offerings, while expanding the number of opportunities available to the NECC community. Participating students will have the opportunity to work across various aspects of a live broadcast, including on-air talent, production, directing, graphics, content and other roles.
“We're super excited to work with the NECC on this initiative and be one of the first programs involved,” said Sam Graziano, Production Coordinator, for The University of Oklahoma’s esports program.
“One of our main objectives with our production team is giving students the chance to gain real-world experience in live production. Having the NECC work directly with our students allows them to take what they've learned with us and apply it to other productions. This will be a great opportunity for them to experience different workflows and production environments outside of OU Esports. We're very excited to get started, and I can't wait to see all of the content we push out!”
The new initiative reflects the NECC's continued commitment to creating opportunities that extend beyond competition and allow students to develop skills and experience that can translate into careers following college.
The NECC plans to continue developing the Second Stream throughout the 2026–27 academic year, with additional schools and community members expected to become involved as the effort grows in the future.
“We’re excited to work with the students at Oklahoma and PVCC to help develop their streaming capabilities with our team of experienced professionals,” said Adam Choles, NECC Director of Digital Media. “We hope to use this concept to work with more schools in the future and continue to provide this professional development opportunity for our community.”
The NECC Second Stream will provide another avenue for fans to experience collegiate esports while giving the conference's students and community members a platform to learn, create and contribute to the future of collegiate esports broadcasting.
“Puma Esports (Paradise Valley Community College) is honored to partner with the NECC on its latest initiative in student professional development,” stated Josh Moss, Program Director.
“While competition is at the heart of esports, it is education and skill development that prepare our students to lead in this expanding industry. We're excited to see how our students continue to shape the future of esports, both in and out of the game.”
The NECC’s Second Stream will officially launch later this month. The schedule will be forthcoming.
ABOUT THE NECC
The NECC fosters innovative competition experiences, provides quality broadcasting services, and works to support an inclusive community within collegiate esports. The NECC was started to provide the collegiate gaming community with the respect it warranted and deserved. The conference prides itself on responding to the needs of its schools, directors, coaches, and most importantly - its players.
With more than 500 colleges and universities currently competing, the NECC strives to be a positive home for the collegiate gaming community.
For more information about the NECC, their schools, games, and community, visit their website at https://necc.gg/
Twitter | Instagram | Discord | YouTube | Website
