As promised by Digicel CEO Justin Morin at the launch of the 2018 Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) schoolboy football season, every Digicel customer is now able to watch televised games live on the SportsMax channel, via Digicel’s PlayGo streaming app, on their smartphones and tablets.

Digicel’s Public Relations and Communications Manager Elon Parkinson said the move is in response to the growing global trend of smartphone users who prefer to watch television via the internet on their devices.

“This is about making sure that everyone gets a chance to follow their favourite high school team, especially when they cannot attend the matches in person,” said Parkinson while attending the Calabar- Kingston College match which was broadcast live via PlayGo last Tuesday.

He continued: “ PlayGo is perfect for busy parents who are unable to be there at the matches cheering on their sons; it’s also for devoted students — past and present — who want to show their team spirit and undying support for their high school.”

Keith Wellington, principal of St Elizabeth Technical High School and vice-president of ISSA, said it’s a brilliant move that will enable more people to have access to more games.

“We are trying to make sure that persons are able to access it through different mediums. Traditional media only covers maybe 40-odd games out of over 700 for the season, and we trying to get to the point where we will be able to see a lot more games,” Wellington, told the Jamaica Observer.

To support its PlayGo service, Digicel is providing schoolboy football content, including match statistics and updates via its social media pages.

For $80, Digicel customers can get a 12-hour football pass (with 5GB streaming data) to watch a featured match, or pay $2,400 for a season pass (with unlimited streaming data) that lasts until December 8, 2018. These discounted prices are only available to customers who purchase using the MyDigicel app.

The telecommunications giant, having returned as sponsor of schoolboy football in 2018, is pumping $75 million into the competition over the next three years, while introducing more innovative ways for students, alumni and fans to keep abreast of the action.

— Howard Walker