______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 8, 2010

ESPN and ACC reach exclusive 12-year agreement

FROM ACC NEWS RELEASE - ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) have reached a 12-year agreement for exclusive rights to every conference-controlled football and men’s basketball game, plus women’s basketball and Olympic sports matchups, and conference championships.

The agreement, which begins in 2011-12 and continues through 2022-23, was announced by George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports, and John Swofford, ACC Commissioner. It will result in approximately 4,800 ACC events over the 12 years on ESPN’s television outlets, digital and mobile platforms, syndication and more.

Among the entities included are: ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, the new ESPN 3D network, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic and ESPN.com. Numerous events will be produced in high definition across ESPN HD, ABC HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNU HD.

Additionally, through a new sublicense arrangement with ESPN, Raycom Sports will continue its long-standing position as the syndication home of ACC content for over-the-air and regional cable network distribution in the ACC market and beyond. Raycom Sports will also continue to manage the ACC’s official corporate partner program and the exploitation of its digital assets, including www.theACC.com, the official conference web site.

2 comments:

  1. One big plus in this new agreement is that the Sunday games, previously on Fox Sports at 8 p.m., will now be on ESPNU between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ACC Commissioner John Swofford said that he heard from fans that they didn't like the later starts on Sunday.
    ESPNU is now part of most satellite and cable system's standard package. Up until recently, it was an additional charge.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I totally agree on Sunday games - 8 pm is just too late on a Sunday if you plan to attend.

    But the bottom line is, this is a huge announcement for the ACC. There were many, including me, who thought the recession might make it difficult for the ACC to get major dollars in its new contract. But you have to give Swofford credit for pulling off such a colossal deal in such a difficult time.

    ReplyDelete