LiveBarn and GTHL Announce New Video Streaming Partnership

TORONTO, ON (February 12, 2024) – LiveBarn, the leading provider of live and on-demand streaming for amateur sports, and the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), the largest minor hockey organization in the world, today announced a new five-year partnership that will bring LiveBarn’s technology to facilities across the Greater Toronto Area. 

Under the terms of the agreement, LiveBarn will be the exclusive Live Streaming partner of the GTHL, ensuring families and fans can watch all league games live and on–demand from anywhere in the world. Subscribers to LiveBarn will also be able to utilize a growing suite of additional technology. LiveBarn features such as live tagging and player analysis were designed with player development and advancement in mind. 

“The GTHL is very excited about our new partnership with LiveBarn and all that it will bring to our participant experience,” said Scott Oakman, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the GTHL. “LiveBarn’s platform provides an enhanced user experience and wider coverage of games, including games played outside of the Greater Toronto Area which will ultimately provide parents and families with the opportunity to watch their favourite teams more often.”  

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the GTHL to bring LiveBarn’s technology to their players and families,” said Ray Giroux, Chief Operating Officer of LiveBarn. “Whether you are directly or indirectly connected to the GTHL, LiveBarn will be a huge value add for all those involved. We have tools and features for parents, coaches, and players alike, helping them stay connected and more engaged than ever to the game they love.” 

LiveBarn subscribers can sign up to watch GTHL events via monthly or annual plans and watch games on any device, including IOS and Android apps. GTHL players will have access to LiveBarn’s new player analysis feature, which in partnership with Sportlogiq, brings the same AI and computer vision technology provided to NHL teams. Coaches and parents will be able to live tag and bookmark events while at games, saving time and capturing teaching moments by creating an auto generated video of all live tags.   

About LiveBarn 
LiveBarn is the industry leader in youth and amateur sports broadcasting. Livestreaming from over 4,000 playing surfaces across the U.S. and Canada, LiveBarn offers live and on-demand replays of hockey, basketball, volleyball, baseball, soccer, swimming and gymnastics events. LiveBarn’s features include unlimited downloads & highlight sharing, as well as Live Tagging and Hockey Player Analysis. LiveBarn was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Montreal. For more information, visit livebarn.com.  

About the Greater Toronto Hockey League   
Founded in 1911, the GTHL is a non-profit organization and the largest minor hockey league in the world. The GTHL registers more than 40,000 annual participants in Markham, Mississauga, Toronto, and Vaughan. The purpose of the GTHL is to govern organized hockey for youth within its jurisdiction, and to foster participation that reflects the cultural demographic of the League’s territory while promoting an environment that is welcoming and inclusive for all participants.

For more information, please contact: 

Andrew Findlater 
SELECT Public Relations for LiveBarn 
afindlater@selectpr.ca  
(647) 444-1197 

Stephanie Coratti
Senior Manager, Communications and Marketing
Greater Toronto Hockey League
scoratti@gthlcanada.com 

LiveBarn and PLAY Hockey Announce New Multi-Year Partnership

Winnipeg, MB – PLAY Hockey announced today a new multi-year streaming partnership that will make LiveBarn the official streaming partner of PLAY Hockey.

The partnership will strengthen the digital experience at PLAY Hockey events and will provide enhanced access to content including;

  • New content segments showcasing the top plays from PLAY Hockey events. 
  • Providing all guests with the opportunity to create and share memorable moments from all PLAY Hockey events.
  • Enabling increased broadcast capability at select events.
  • Advanced analytics and viewer options for coaches, parents and participants.
  • Unique on site experiences with the LiveBarn promotional team at select events.

“PLAY Hockey is committed to finding new ways to improve the experience for all participants, their families and their friends as well as growing the game of hockey,” said PLAY Hockey Vice President of Marketing, Product & Growth, Drew Wilkinson.  “Our new relationship with LiveBarn offers a premium streaming solution to the facilities that serve our North American events, and we are excited about offering a consistent product to the parents, friends and extended families.”

“We are very proud to be partnering with PLAY Hockey as their official streaming partner,” said Ray Giroux, Chief Operating Officer of LiveBarn. “Together, our goal is to ensure that our offering serves the best interests of PLAY Hockey and its guests. We look forward to bringing our technology to all of the parents, coaches and athletes affiliated with PLAY Hockey so that they never miss a moment.”

PLAY Hockey kicks off the 2024 season this weekend at the MLK Freeze and MLK Mite Classic taking place in Massachusetts with LiveBarn coverage at Worcester Ice Center, Skate 3 Ice Arena, The Edge Sports Center, Essex Sports Center, and Burlington Ice Palace.

Click Here to sign up today to start streaming games on LiveBarn.

About PLAY Hockey:

PLAY Hockey is a global leader in youth hockey providing memorable experiences to over 100,000 youth hockey players at 105 events.  Event management solutions are also available to associations, teams and hockey organizations.  PLAY Hockey is focused on providing best in class experiences for players, families and our partners to build friendships, have fun, and create memories that last a lifetime. Learn more at www.playhockey.com

About LiveBarn

LiveBarn is the world’s largest streaming provider of youth and amateur sports.  LiveBarn is installed in over 1,800 venues broadcasting over 3,700 streams with – new facilities added weekly. As a global company, they provide live streaming from the US, Canada, Sweden and Israel, broadcasting ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming,  baseball, soccer and gymnastics. To learn more, please visit livebarn.com.

LiveBarn Partners with IHS

LiveBarn partners with IHS

ABOUT IHS

We are a group that was brought together by our friendship and passion for hockey and technology. Our objective is to create content and tools that inspire coaches and players around the world.

For coaches, we developed the site to provide tools and content that educates, fosters creativity and helps stay organized. Hockey coaches have busy lives, we like to think we help them save time and build confidence in their coaching.

For players, we want to eliminate the price restriction to accessing world class player development education. There is no substitute for one-on-one education, but we have developed content for players of all levels to practice and improve their skills on and off the ice. We have committed to never charge for our player development and off-ice training content.

USA Swimming Announces Partnership with LiveBarn

LiveBarn named Official Supplier of live and on-demand streaming services for pools utilized by USA Swimming member clubs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Feb. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — USA Swimming today announced a three-year partnership with LiveBarn, the global leader in live streaming of amateur and youth sporting events. LiveBarn will become the official supplier of live and on-demand video streaming services for swimming pools utilized by USA Swimming member clubs. As an exclusive partner, LiveBarn will work directly with USA Swimming clubs to install their Live Streaming technology in pools across the country.

“Our new relationship with LiveBarn offers a no-cost streaming solution to the facilities that serve our member clubs and we are excited about the benefits to those pool operators,” USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson said. “Our athletes deserve world-class aquatics facilities in which to train and compete, and this is a major step in providing better services to them.”

“We are very proud to be partnering with USA Swimming as their official streaming supplier,” said Ray Giroux, Chief Operating Officer of LiveBarn. “Together, our goal is to ensure that our offering serves the best interests of USA Swimming and its member organizations. We look forward to bringing our technology to all of the parents, coaches and athletes affiliated with USA Swimming so that they never miss a moment.”

Through this partnership, LiveBarn will serve as the presenting sponsor of the USA Swimming Workshop in 2022, 2023 and 2024. They will also engage with USA Swimming members, coaches and facilities via a presence on the USA Swimming website, email campaigns and will display the USA Swimming logo and the official supplier designation on related marketing initiatives.

For more information on LiveBarn, please visit livebarn.com.

Keep up with all the latest USA Swimming news by following @usaswimming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events, and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition, including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: build the base; promote the sport; achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.

About LiveBarn
LiveBarn provides Live Streaming and On Demand replay of amateur and youth sports events. LiveBarn is installed in over 1,200 venues broadcasting over 2,200 streams with additional partners added weekly. As a global company, they provide live streaming from US, Canada, Sweden and Israel, broadcasting swimming, ice hockey, baseball, basketball/volleyball and soccer. To learn more, please visit livebarn.com.

LiveBarn is a Proud Sponsor of USA Hockey

LiveBarn USA Hockey

USA Hockey Announces Partnership with LiveBarn

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today a partnership with LiveBarn, a leader in streaming youth and amateur sports in North America.

LiveBarn will have designation as an official partner of USA Hockey and help to promote the game of hockey and highlight various USA Hockey initiatives.

“We’re pleased to add LiveBarn to our USA Hockey partner family,” said Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey. “They’re passionate about hockey and we most certainly appreciate their support.”

“We are very excited to be partnering with USA Hockey. While we broadcast many sports, hockey is in our blood and this partnership is a natural extension of our brand. Our technology is installed in hockey rinks in the U.S., Canada and Sweden. We have a product that can benefit every member of the USA Hockey family from parents to players to coaches, and we look forward to collaborating with them on our current and future initiatives“ said Ray Giroux, chief operating officer of LiveBarn. 

About USA Hockey

USA Hockey, established on October 29, 1937, and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, provides the foundation for the sport of ice hockey in America; helps young people become leaders, sometimes Olympic or Paralympic heroes; and connects the game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport. USA Hockey is more than a million strong, including players, coaches, officials and volunteers that span all 50 states. The National Governing Body for the sport in the United States, USA Hockey has important partnerships with the NHL, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation. For more information, visit usahockey.com.

About LiveBarn

LiveBarn provides Live Streaming and On Demand replay of amateur and youth sports events. LiveBarn is installed in 815 ice hockey venues – broadcasting from over 1,250 rink surfaces – from 45 states with additional partners added weekly. As a global company, they provide live streaming from Canada, Sweden and Israel, broadcasting baseball, basketball/volleyball and soccer/turf sports in addition to Ice Hockey. LiveBarn is available on a subscription service with streams accessible via a desktop or mobile browser, the LiveBarn iOS App or the LiveBarn AppleTV App. Members can download game content, save 30 second highlights, Live Tag highlights from within a venue. LiveBarn was founded in 2015 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada. To learn more, please visit livebarn.com.

USA Hockey LiveBarn

Canlan Sports(TM) Brings Live & On-Demand Broadcast to Its Sports Communities, Powered by LiveBarn

Canlan Sports(TM) Brings Live & On-Demand Broadcast to Its Sports Communities, Powered by LiveBarn

Canlan Sports will be showcasing LiveBarn’s A.I. broadcasting technology across various mediums

About Us - Canlan Sportsplex, Lake Barrington, IL

Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – August 4, 2021) – Canlan Sports (TSX: ICE) announced today that it has reached a new multi-year agreement with LiveBarn, the largest amateur sports broadcaster in the world, to bring Live & On-Demand broadcasts to their Sports Complexes by late summer 2021.

This long-term deal will play a major part in Canlan Sports’ continued emphasis on creating the most innovative and extraordinary sports experiences for their sports communities.

LiveBarn will provide live and on-demand broadcasting in Canlan Sports’ complexes across Canada and the U.S, through web, mobile app, and Apple TV, and in addition to personal devices, streaming of the action will be broadcast to televisions in Canlan’s restaurant venues.

“This is a significant move forward in our digital transformation, gamification and enhanced customer experience focus that will lead to game-changing innovations for our organization. We are very excited to be introducing new video technology services to our sports community,” said Joey St-Aubin, President and CEO of Canlan Sports. 

“LiveBarn’s track record speaks for itself; they are constantly improving their products and increasing their reach, which speaks to their reputation and commitment to connect people to sports in new, innovative ways.”

“This is a new, innovative experience for the Canlan Sports Community, where subscribers can easily navigate between different viewing options, choosing to watch via automated tracking or controlling the screen through the panoramic view,” said Costa Kladianos, VP of Innovation and Technology for Canlan Sports. “All users, including athletes, parents and fans, can quickly share, store and create memories, capturing all of their favourite highlights forever.” 

The Canlan Sports video service powered by LiveBarn will better service the many groups that represent the Canlan Sports Community. From coaches, who benefit from being able to use video to improve individual and team performance, to parents and grandparents, providing the ability to watch and stay connected to the action from anywhere. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Canlan to offer Live Streaming and more to all of their customers. The Canlan leadership team has a clear vision to provide best-in-class service in every aspect of what they do, including technology. We are proud to be their partner and look forward to integrating and innovating with them for years to come,” said Ray Giroux, COO of LiveBarn.

About Canlan Sports:
Canlan Sports is the leading owner, operator, and investor in the multi-sport recreation sector, committed to creating sports communities that change lives for the better. Through our portfolio of partnerships, Canlan Sports is the largest private sector owner and operator of 19 sports complexes across Canada and the United States, offering a wide array of ice, court, and turf experiences.

Our Vision: 
Creating the most innovative and extraordinary experiences for our sports communities.

About LiveBarn:

LiveBarn is the leader in youth and amateur sports broadcasting, currently installed on over 1,800 surfaces in Canada, US and Sweden, totaling over 60 million broadcast hours. LiveBarn was selected in 2021 by Deloitte as one of the 100 Fastest Growing Tech Companies in North America and recognized as #40 of 400 of Canada’s fastest growing companies by The Globe and Mail. LiveBarn’s cutting-edge, automated technology provides dual-viewing options for watching Live and On Demand video streams.

Canlan Ice Sports Corp. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol, ICE.  
To learn more, visit us at CanlanSports.com.

Media Contact:
Costa Kladianos
VP, Technology + Innovation
Canlan Sports 
ckladianos@canlansports.com

Article from Newsfile.

Giroux Led Yale to First ECAC Title

Re-printed with permission from Yale Men’s Ice Hockey 12/2/2020 8:01:00 AM Steve Conn

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. – The captain who led Yale to its first ECAC Hockey Championship before skating for 14 professional teams in seven leagues – including the Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils – is now the Chief Operating Officer of LiveBarn, the industry leading youth sports streaming service in North America.

Ray and Rich Giroux
Rich and Ray Giroux

Ray Giroux ’98 was best known for being the younger half of the only brother (Rich ’95) combination to captain Yale Hockey Teams, until he led the Bulldogs to their best-ever record (23-9-3), a regular-season conference title and Yale’s first NCAA appearance in 46 years while being tabbed a Hobey Baker Finalist, an All-American and the ECAC Hockey Defensive Player of the Year. He became one of the most decorated skaters in Yale history.

The North Bay, Ontario, native, an eighth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1994 draft, while weighing in at 154 pounds, joined Rich at Yale when he was 18 and left New Haven 36 pounds heavier and with the second most points for a blueliner in school history. Legendary Yale and U.S. Olympic Head Coach Tim Taylor said, “Ray is an NHL skater with an NHL brain. He doesn’t have an NHL body yet, but he’ll work on that.”

Giroux took the challenge to heart and played 16 pro seasons in three different countries while accumulating 180 goals and 433 points over 877 games. That included 38 NHL games – 11 of those were regular-season dates during the Devils’ 2003 run to the Stanley Cup title – and 389 American Hockey League contests for the four-time pro all-star selection who also competed in the AHL Skills Competition and earned the league’s Man of the Year Award for outstanding contributions in the community numerous times, one of the things he’s most proud of.

“My greatest accomplishment was longevity, and I cherished the good and bad times.  Despite being crushed by it at the time, I learned a lot by being sent down (to the minors) as adversity can help you grow.  I feel fortunate that the game of hockey has been very good to me, so giving back and helping others just seemed like the right thing to do.”

He was on bluelines in the AHL and NHL and then went to Switzerland for a winter before returning to the U.S. and eventually finding smoother ice in Russia. Most North American former college hockey players don’t last long in the pro game over there, but he flourished over eight seasons, including 238 Kontinental Hockey League games, a 2006 Russian Championship, a 2007 IIHF European Champions Cup and a 2009 KHL All-Star appearance.

“There’s a little truth to every crazy anecdote you might here about Russian pro hockey. I was amazed at what I saw,” said Giroux, who squeezed a Swedish pro season in between eight Eastern Bloc winters.

Ray Giroux All Star Game at Kremlin
2009 KHL All-Star Game

There were some former NHL players who helped Giroux assimilate in Russian pro hockey, including Alexei Morozov and Fred Brathwaite. One experience that was “surreal”, was being selected to the KHL All-Star team, alongside future hall of famer Jaromir Jagr, to play in the heart of Red Square on an outdoor rink next to the Kremlin.

“Too cold to be a memory. It was 30 below zero, so I was in survival mode that night. I didn’t even want to touch the puck it was so cold.  Luckily my wife, who was then pregnant with our first son Henri, took some great pictures” said Giroux, who says learning the Russian language helped him sustain a European career.

The guy who took Italian as his language requirement at Yale, took Russian lessons and studied the language to become proficient, endearing himself to coaches, teammates and fans alike. “It was a challenge, but immersing yourself in the culture and learning the language was the only way to last there.”  

Ray Giroux
In Russia

Hockey skills, rather than brute force, were also at a premium for KHL survival. Giroux’s hands, feet and vision were better suited for the larger rinks of Europe. He always looked like a quarterback on the ice at Ingalls Rink, and KHL teams sought players like him.

“Winning a championship in Russia with no family around was unique but still a fantastic experience. It was a growing moment as a person, adapting to life overseas with such a big cultural change.”

Fast forward to now and Giroux is focused on his family and running LiveBarn, which helps families watch kids play when they can’t get to the venue, and players and coaches evaluate what happened in a game or practice with video highlights. It’s used for multiple sports at facilities throughout North America.

Coaching his two sons’ (Henri, 11, and Oliver, 7) hockey teams and watching his daughter, Eloise (9), experience the arts and lacrosse are equally challenging to expanding the footprint of the company he has worked for since 2015.

Some of what he uses in coaching and managing people came from Taylor, his mentor at Yale.

“Tim (Taylor) impacted me as a person and a player, and the things he taught set us up to be better in life. On the ice, he wanted to get us out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves. I’m always challenging our kids with that, having them play and understand different positions,” said Giroux, who always has his white board and marker in hand on the bench (like Taylor) and wants his skaters to be aggressive with the puck, take chances and join the rush on defense.

“More than just X’s and O’s, we are trying to teach the kids lessons they can apply in life, like working hard, team work and accountability. If you work hard and have fun, the results will follow. It’s not always about the outcome.”

The hard work and results are in full view on LiveBarn, which is now in many NHL practice rinks. That technology would have saved Brian and Linda Giroux a lot of time when they were toting their boys around North Bay Ontario all those years before the two became Bulldogs. That commitment certainly paid dividends; both boys are chief operating officers (Rich is also chief financial officer for MeiraGTx, a gene therapy company) and pillars of their communities.

“Playing with my brother in college was a great experience for me, but even more so for my parents. They got up every Saturday at 5 a.m. to take us to practice, sacrificing much of their time and money. We are lucky and blessed for having wonderful parents, and they were so proud of us having the “C” on our jerseys.”

The youngest Giroux boy, who spent countless hours on the outdoor rink across the street from his home, relished being part of the Yale Hockey Family when he left home, and he helped his new brothers go from one of the worst seasons in program history to the best in just two winters.

“It was so much fun helping to create a buzz around campus and getting the support from everyone around us. We were not the most skilled team overall, but we were a close knit group that played as a team,” said Giroux about the 1997-98 squad. A different player would rise above the others each night. I hope we played a small role in helping the program move forward.”

He and his teammates certainly did get the puck sliding in the right direction for the Bulldogs, who were on the way to the most prolific run in program history, including a national championship and the highest win percentage in Division I between 2008 and 2012.

Giroux’s Yale experience also included a relationship with Theo Epstein ’95, and they remain great friends to this day.  The former president of the Chicago Cubs brought the Eli player to spring training to immerse himself in the Baseball Operations department, an experience that helped him in his current role. 

The seasoned international skater would still be traveling for work if not for the pandemic, but working from his home in Pennsylvania allows for more time with his wife, Megan, and the kids.

“I’m extremely fortunate to have such a great family and work to go to that doesn’t seem like work at all.”

And he has plenty of stories about Russia to share with them, many of which have to wait until the kids are older.

Ray Giroux Family

LiveBarn Ranked #11 In Deloitte Canada Technology Fast 50

LiveBarn received the honor of being ranked #11 in Deloitte Canada’s Technology Fast 50™ as well as #80 in the Deloitte North American Fast 500.

 Launched 23 years ago, the Technology Fast 50™ program celebrates the world-class achievements and the tremendous evolution of the Canadian technology sector. 

The Technology Fast 50™ awards and rankings are presented in distinct categories that characterize and define the unique strengths of Canadian innovation. Deloitte knows first-hand that these awards are an important opportunity not just to celebrate, but to recognize the passion, integrity and vision that has propelled the Canadian technology sector. 

Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth, Technology Fast 50™ companies—small, large, public, private—span a variety of industry sectors and are leaders in hardware, software, telecom, digital media and emerging areas such as clean technology. Technology Fast 50™ companies are making a difference in Canada’s technology community. 

Deloitte –Technology Fast 50 Winners
Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is the leading technology awards program
in North America (US and Canada)

Now in its 26th year, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is the leading technology awards program in North America (US and Canada). Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and rapid growth, Fast 500 companies—large, small, public, and private—span a variety of industry sectors and are leaders in hardware, software, telecom, semiconductors, life sciences, and emerging areas, such as energy technology. These companies are on the cutting edge and are transforming the way we do business today.

Deloitte – Technology Fast 500 North America

LiveBarn Partners with Wisconsin Prep Hockey

Facebook

If you know High School hockey in Wisconsin, then you know the team at Wisconsin Prep Hockey. They are the driving force behind all social media content and they maintain the go-to website for Schedules, Stats, Standings and News for the state of Wisconsin, High School Hockey.

LiveBarn has had a focus on growing the venue base in Wisconsin long before the pandemic made live streaming a requirement. As we added venues to the area, it made sense for us to partner with the go-to resource for hockey. As part of our partnership, we scan the hockey schedules daily to ensure that we are ready to support the surge of midweek viewing that is trademark to the High School hockey season.

We also work with the Wisconsin Prep team to ensure they have access to video content, downloads, updated venue lists and anything else that can make their job easier. Since access to the rink is limited, and you can’t be at two games at once, our 30-second download from VOD is perhaps the most utilized tool to generate quick and reliable content. This feature is available to all our subscribers, on any subscription plan via either our iOS App or a browser. Find a play on VOD, click the download button and the clip is immediately downloaded to your desktop or phone!

In 2020, we installed 23 venues in Wisconsin – 3 more are coming soon to bring our total to 73 in all sports. We have begun to install in indoor soccer facilities and outdoor baseball fields as well.

Want to bring LiveBarn to your venue? Click here for a more information about becoming a LiveBarn venue, to contact our sales team or suggest a venue!