The popularity of North Carolina high school sports is on the rise, as shown by the significant increase in HighSchoolOT’s audience in 2023.

In 2023, HighSchoolOT achieved record-breaking audience numbers after visiting nearly 400 schools across all 100 counties in North Carolina.

HighSchoolOT saw a record-breaking number of monthly unique visitors in 2022, with nearly 2.4 million users across desktop, mobile, and the app. This marks a 56% increase from the previous year and sets a new high dating back to 2008. The website experienced growth in all 12 months and achieved all-time highs in five different months.

During the spring sports season from March to June, North Carolina high school sports gained significant attention, surpassing previous records and indicating that interest extends beyond the traditional football and basketball seasons. With over 742,000 monthly unique visitors, it was the busiest period for sports-related traffic.

According to Nick Stevens, the managing editor of HighSchoolOT, although football has the biggest following, there is also significant interest in other sports and seasons. He believes that there is still a lot of potential to be tapped in these sports. Last year, the growth of HighSchoolOT was attributed to their efforts to involve people in different sports across the state while maintaining their exceptional coverage of football.

During the months of August to December, the average monthly unique visitors for football was over 242,000. To improve coverage of the sport throughout the year, HighSchoolOT brought on a full-time football editor.

HSOT Live, the premier football offering, broadcasted 88 games from 100 different schools in 42 counties, including one team from another state, throughout the fall season. Similar to the NFL RedZone Channel, HSOT Live showcases live games every Friday night, with studio hosts guiding viewers through multiple games with live coverage, replays, and immediate analysis. The show is hosted by Stevens and T.J. Thorpe, a Durham native who played college football at UNC and UVA, and has experience in the NFL with Philadelphia and Washington, as well as the CFL.

HighSchoolOT strives to showcase the top games, teams, and players from North Carolina to viewers every week, setting them apart from others in the country. While there may be other live streams available, HighSchoolOT stands out by producing a unique RedZone style show. This approach allows for greater flexibility in covering all the noteworthy events and storylines across the state. Stevens, who also hosts the HSOT Postgame Show on Friday nights, conducts interviews with players, coaches, and media representatives from various regions within the state.

Neither HSOT Live nor the HSOT Postgame Show contain any commercials.

Last year, HighSchoolOT had over 10 million page views from visitors – the highest since the pandemic. Additionally, video consumption has also returned to levels seen before the pandemic.

HighSchoolOT has a wide reach, extending beyond its website and app. Its presence on social media platforms Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook has garnered over 130,000 followers. Additionally, over 30,000 individuals have subscribed to receive the HighSchoolOT newsletter and breaking news updates via email.

In August, HighSchoolOT introduced a new service called “HSOT Insider” that offers North Carolina high school sports enthusiasts exclusive access not found anywhere else.

Between August and December, more than 1,100 individuals subscribed as HSOT Insiders. These Insiders are granted special privileges such as access to playoff predictions, expert analysis from our team, coverage of both pre and postseason events, and other exciting perks.

You can subscribe to HSOT Insider for $6.99 per month or $59.99 per year.

“We are pleased to announce that our coverage of high school sports is expanding, despite the decrease in coverage from other local media sources. Our goal is to ensure that all high school sports in North Carolina receive the recognition they deserve,” stated Stevens. “However, providing coverage for the entire state comes at a cost. While the majority of our content on HighSchoolOT remains available for free, certain exclusive features are reserved for our Insiders. This allows us to sustain our coverage of high school sports throughout the state.”

Although HighSchoolOT’s expansion indicates an increase in the demand for high school sports content, it is important to note that participation in high school sports in North Carolina is also on the rise, reaching pre-pandemic levels.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association reports a rise in high school sports participation in North Carolina for both boys and girls. Boys saw an increase of 8.6% while girls saw an increase of 4.3%. The state now has approximately 200,000 student-athletes involved in high school sports and certain sports, such as football, have seen a resurgence in participation after a decline in previous years.

According to Stevens, as more students participate in high school sports, there will also be an increase in interest. We are certain that this will result in continued growth at HighSchoolOT.

HighSchoolOT’s comprehensive reporting on high school sports in North Carolina will persist until 2024.

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Do you or your company want to connect with parents, coaches, students, and community members involved in North Carolina high school sports? HighSchoolOT is the perfect platform for this. Please reach out to Errik Reid at [email protected] to explore potential collaborations.

Source: highschoolot.com