The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio HB 697 guarantees schools the right to broadcast playoff athletic contests and prohibits exclusive broadcasting bans
Last action · February 18, 2026: Referred to Arts, Athletics, and TourismSponsors: Mark Hiner and 4 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Ohio HB 697 grants public and private middle and high schools the legal right to broadcast their own post-season and playoff athletic contests, while prohibiting interscholastic athletic regulation organizations from entering into exclusive broadcasting agreements that block s or schools from providing coverage.
Schools and local media outlets gain guaranteed access to air high-stakes tournament games without being locked out by exclusive regional broadcasting monopolies, changing how regional sports fans watch local student athletes.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Local broadcasters
Broadcasters gain the statutory ability to enter agreements with schools to air post-season athletic contests without being blocked by exclusive tournament contracts.
Schools and school districts
Schools receive the explicit right to broadcast their own participating teams' post-season athletic activities.
Organizations that regulate interscholastic conferences or events
Event-regulating organizations are legally barred from entering into exclusive broadcast agreements that exclude local broadcasters or participating schools.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill apply to regular-season games?
Can private corporations still buy exclusive broadcasting rights for high school state tournaments under this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Arts, Athletics, and Tourism
- Feb 12, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of School Media Rights
The bill shifts statutory authority by explicitly overriding exclusive broadcast contracts held by athletic governing bodies in favor of individual schools and local media.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools