After one year of free use, the OUA’s streaming service returns with a mobile app and an $89.99 all-access pass
First, the good news: the OUA has announced plans to launch a mobile streaming app that will be available for both iOS and Android users before the beginning of the 2025-26 seasons. The bad news? This development will cost you.
How much? In 2023-24, OUA.tv cost users $8.99 per month. In 2024-25, that fee was scrapped, allowing fans free access to both live and on-demand games from all 20 member teams all season long. Now, the OUA says that a single game pass will cost $8.99, a year-long sport specific pass $39.99, and a year-long all-access pass $89.99. The sport specific passes will cover only the regular season, with postseason passes looming as add-ons of a yet-to-be-determined value.
“Better valuing this impressive asset, much like has already been done by fellow conferences across the country (i.e., Canada West, AUS), will ensure that the platform can be consistently improved upon by keeping up with advancements in the field, incorporating new features that become available, and enhancing the overall user experience," says the OUA in the FAQ section of their website, which OB.SESSED was directed to by the OUA when asked for comment.
Only the sports of football, basketball, and hockey will be under the paywall. Any other sports will remain free. The OUA says that is because those three are the only sports required to be webcasted according to the OUA Webcasting Policy, which was last updated in 2018.
The OUA announced the changes on June 26. Image: OUA/Provided.
The OUA also acknowledges the eneven distribution of streaming resources in the FAQ section. "Webcasting budgets and resources across the OUA are different for each Member school," reads an answer to the question "Why is the video stream backing up."
Along with the update and the paywall, the OUA noted that "Video for the 2025-26 season is being encoded at a rate of 3.5Mbps (compared with 1.8-2Mbps in previous years.) This increase in video quality requires more powerful computers and additional bandwidth. Some of the encoding equipment currently being used by some schools does not have the requisite power to reliably push out the new, higher quality signal."
That lack of uniform technical standards in the OUA’s Webcasting Policy has raised concerns among players, coaches, media, and fans alike, especially as the cost of access returns.
York Lions recruiting and video coordinator Mack Chapman asked, "Anyone remember the end of the Queen’s/Windsor playoff game last year? Not if you watched on OUA.tv.”
Western Mustangs commentator Aaron Gazzola also voiced his frustration in the same comment section. “As a commentator for the OUA, this is truly frustrating. We place so much effort and time to create meaningful narratives for these athletes, just to restrict these stories to only paid subscribers. Bring back the old model!”
Carleton Ravens quarterback Elijah Barnes was the most blunt, calling the move "A very dumb decision," adding that if the production quality remains the same as previous years "it becomes a very big problem."
Canada West and the AUS debuted their mobile apps during the 2024-25 seasons. Full season all-access streaming passes for both conferences came in just north of the OUA’s new figure, at $99.99 for a full season.
The RSEQ, meanwhile, still lacks a centralized streaming platform. Most programs from that conference stream their games on YouTube or have specific television deals for bigger games. McGill is the lone holdout, disseminating their games via their own streaming service, priced at $39.99 for a full season of home games.
As the OUA reintroduces its paywall and joins its peers in rolling out a mobile app, fans navigating an already-expensive sports streaming landscape are left with a difficult decision. You can purchase your 2025-26 pass at OUA.TV.