ESPN has picked up the option on its broadcasting contract with the Atlantic Coast Conference, maintaining broadcast rights to sports within the entity through 2036. The development as it pertains to the Power Five Conference takes place following the 2024 season in which the enterprise added three new teams in Stanford, Cal and SMU. The ACC is said to be in the process of formally ratifying this extension that extends the deal for another nine years ahead of the deadline early next month, as first reported by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
“We appreciate the ongoing partnership with ESPN and their enduring commitment that further solidifies the ACC as a premier league in all facets,” Jim Phillips, Ph.D, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, said in a statement. “The extension showcases the importance of our long-standing relationship, and I want to personally thank the entire ESPN team for their leadership and dedication to our collective future. In addition, I want to thank our ACC Board of Directors who have been involved throughout this entire process. The resolve from both parties to further enhance the partnership through innovation and creativity to continue to drive additional value remains our top priority.”
As the media rights development takes place, the ACC is currently facing lawsuits from Clemson and Florida State pertaining to who would own the broadcast rights should the teams leave the conference. Should the conference be found to own the media rights, they would stay within the conference for the length of the contracts regardless if the schools are playing in another conference, something that could ostensibly diminish value for the universities. If the opposite turned out to be proven correct, the schools would be able to present the TV rights to a new conference.
The option that ESPN has reportedly renewed has been described as a “look-in” by ACC commissioner Jim Phillips. This agreement reportedly took place after the ACC agreed to “value adds” said to have been pushed by Phillips, some of which could include creating additional marquee matchups in football and men’s basketball to maximize content on networks. David Hale and Andrea Adelson of ESPN also cited multiple athletic directors that the deal could involve utilizing the conference relationship with Notre Dame to cultivate more games against the team. The team recently made the National Championship Game in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff with oversight from Pete Bevacqua, the university athletic director and former president and chairman of NBC Sports.
“We are pleased to extend our media rights agreement with the ACC through 2036, continuing our longstanding relationship,” Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, said in a statement. “We remain committed to serving the ACC, its member schools, student athletes and fans via comprehensive live game coverage, storytelling and broad exposure across our unprecedented array of networks and platforms, including ACC Network. The ACC is a pillar of ESPN’s leading commitment to college sports and we are thrilled to continue the partnership over the next decade.”
ESPN agreed to a 20-year contract with the ACC in 2016 that is reportedly worth $240 million per year. The company broadcasts conference sporting events across its ESPN and ABC broadcast entities, along with presenting distinctive programming and matchups on the ACC Network. The Walt Disney Company has majority ownership of the network that it established in 2019, and it recently celebrated its five-year anniversary with special programming highlighting the accomplishments within the conference. If ESPN decided not to pick up its option in the contract, the partnership between both entities would have ended following the 2027 season.
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