Learfield, which distributes college athletic broadcasts to more than 2,100 affiliate radio stations nationwide, has partnered with Adventure 33 to build Prism, a cloud-based platform replacing the satellite distribution technology it has relied on since the 1980s.
Satellite has been the backbone of the company’s IMG College Audio Network distribution for four decades, and Learfield built and ran that system itself rather than relying on an outside distributor. Prism is meant to replace that infrastructure with an internet-based, cloud-hosted system, a shift the industry has broadly been making for over a decade, though usually at a smaller scale than a network the size of Learfield’s.
The timing lines up with a broader industry pressure point as C-band satellite spectrum is being reclaimed for 5G use, and the FCC is expected to auction off Upper C-Band spectrum within the next year, a squeeze that’s pushing satellite capacity down and costs up.
Implementation begins this fall across what the company describes as several key properties and networks, though Learfield didn’t detail specific changes for affiliate stations on the receiving end in its announcement.
Learfield Senior Director of Broadcast Technology and Engineering Ben Blevins said, “Learfield invested in the development of Prism because we saw an opportunity to modernize audio distribution at scale and build a stronger foundation for the future—much as Clyde Lear did when he embraced satellite technology 50 years ago. This partnership will deliver greater flexibility, reliability, and efficiency for our affiliates and our school partners, while setting a new standard for audio delivery across the broadcast industry.”
Adventure 33 Founder and President Adrian Berkovits said, “Building Prism alongside Learfield has been rooted in real trust from day one, and that’s the foundation every great partnership needs. Prism represents a new blueprint for how audio moves, with impact that will reach far beyond college sports into the broadcast industry as a whole. This is the kind of shift our industry has been ready and waiting for. We’re proud to build that future with Learfield as our partner.”
