The Louisiana startup Network Foundation Technologies believes it is revolutionizing the way live video is broadcast over the Internet.

NFT President Marcus Morton said its peer-to-peer technology reduces by more than 50 percent bandwidth needs, one of the biggest costs for companies looking to broadcast live over the Internet. That means companies can more easily pay for the cost of broadcasting through advertising, he said.

“This is a TV model brought to the Internet,” said Mr. Morton.

At least a handful of companies appear convinced. NFT on Tuesday announced that beginning in March arenafootball2 will broadcast the league’s games for free over the Internet. The Central Hockey League and the International Baseball Federation are already clients.

Mr. Morton said sports leagues are their “low-hanging fruit” because their content—sporting matches—are best watched live.

Viewers must first download a video player, custom-built for each content owner. But then fans get to kick their feet up and watch for free—like the old days of broadcast television.

Other companies, like Akamai and Brightcove, also have live broadcasting services for the Internet.

NFT received its first funding round in early 2007 from private investors. The startup was founded by Mike O’Neal, who is its current chief scientist and is the former chair of the computer science program at Louisiana Tech University.