The Atlantic Coast Conference is in a better way after a new media rights deal.
The Atlantic Coast Conference took a big step into the land of being a Power conference. It created a new media deal with ESPN that would include the creation of an ACC Network. The name ‘ACC Network’ is currently used by Raycom to refer to their ACC Sports coverage, but it is not a true network with twenty-four hour coverage.
As a sidenote, the ACC also gained assurances that Notre Dame would only cease to be an independent in football if it joined the ACC. No one anticipates the Fighting Irish making those moves now or perhaps in the near future but there is only one place they can really go now.
This new twenty year media deal has impressed the other conferences enough that talks of expansion have started again in the Big 12. I’m sure Houston, BYU, and Cincinnati are polishing up their resumes.
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The deal also includes digital content and that at least will get off the ground first. The television network is still three years away according to the timeline.
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The media deal raises the value of the conference and makes it less likely that any more teams will pull a Maryland and leave for other pastures. The college sports landscape looks as if it will stay in the current status quo where there are five power conferences. This will be even more true if the Big 12 reaches out to two or four more members.
That means that the area around the Tobacco Road core of the ACC will also get to enjoy the stability of the new media deal. The football season seems to be the story of Wake’s growth, Duke’s adjustment, NC State’s reload, and the back end of Tar Heels success.
It will be interesting to see the roll out of the ACC Network and how that functions. The SEC Network saw an infusion of ESPN talent, could they even do it again for the ACC?