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Swofford, ACC Adamant TV Net Will Help Conference; Big 12 On The Outside Looking In

The ACC and ESPN on Thursday formally announced the creation of the conference's digital and linear networks, and conference Commissioner John Swofford spent much of his remarks "explaining how important the network is for the ACC's stability, financial standing and brand," according to Ava Wallace of the WASHINGTON POST. The partnership "fortifies the ACC as college football braces for the prospect of another wave of major-conference expansion." Duke AD and ACC TV Committee Chair Kevin White said, "We have great solidarity at all levels." Swofford "expects the ACC Network will provide a similar financial buoy" to that of the SEC Network, and he "wasn't coy about the expected revenue hike." Swofford: "It will keep the ACC in the higher echelon of the Power Five" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/22). USA TODAY's George Schroeder notes the vibe during Thursday's ACC football kickoff event in Charlotte "was something just shy of giddy." The "contrast in Charlotte was stark, with the fearful scrambling and anxious frenzy underway in the Big 12" (USA TODAY, 7/22). 

IS THE PRICE RIGHT? Swofford "declined to give estimates of how much the network would bring in and how much would be distributed to member schools" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/22). However, SI's Andy Staples wrote the ACC Net can "probably command a quarter per month per subscriber outside the ACC footprint and significantly more inside the ACC footprint." It "won't get the $1.40 subscribers pay for the SEC Network inside SEC states, but that's because a Virginia fan isn't going to threaten to burn down the cable company if he can't get every Cavaliers football game" (CAMPUSRUSH.com, 7/21).

GLEEFUL TONES: In Raleigh, Andrew Carter notes Swofford and other conference officials "spoke in gleeful tones" about the launch of a ACC network, which was a "departure from years of non-answers and scant details." But the "most important, and obvious, question related to TV and the ACC is this: Can its channel rival the financial success of the Big Ten Network and the SEC Network?" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/22). In Tallahassee, Corey Clark writes the ACC Net's creation had been a "very complicated process," but one that Swofford and the conference's decision makers "thought was a necessity." A conference net had been "talked about for so long, and so vaguely, that it never seemed like a realistically viable option." Florida State AD Stan Wilcox said, "It's a great day. For each of our institutions, this is a day we've all been waiting for" (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 7/22).

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Georgia Tech AD Mike Bobinski said, "It's a brand new business venture. A start-up is a start-up. But we're very optimistic." He added, "ESPN is not in the business of not doing successful deals. They do things that work and are not only content viable but economically viable and we have a lot of confidence that it's going to be a very significant revenue producer for both parties" (Columbus LEDGER-ENQUIRER, 7/22). Clemson AD Dan Radakovich said of the conference channel, "You're always looking to increase your resources because our costs continue to move up" (Columbia STATE, 7/22). Miami football coach Mark Richt called the announcement "huge." Richt: "Exposure, money." In Miami, Susan Miller Degnan notes Miami "already has made a major commitment to broadcasting," investing more than $2M in "high-tech equipment and staffing to produce 114 events for ESPN3 this year" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/22).

WHAT'S NEXT? SI's Staples noted Swofford "swears he won't get bored, but life will be different after an action-packed past 13 years." He said that the ACC "isn't thinking about adding more schools." Swofford will be "busy working with" ESPN execs and Wasserman media adviser Dean Jordan to get the network up and running. That the ACC could "make the deal even after the recent changes in the cable world is a credit to Swofford and Jordan" (CAMPUSRUSH.com, 7/21). In Raleigh, Luke DeCock writes it is "too late for the ACC to be a television trend-setter," but it is not too late for the ACC "to catch up." Short of getting Notre Dame to "join as a full football member," this "was the last immediate concern" on Swofford's to-do list. How much more money this deal "means to the ACC will depend on how financially successful the network is, and representatives from both the ACC and ESPN painstakingly avoided disclosing specific terms Thursday." There are also "logistical concerns for ESPN, which needs to expand the Charlotte production facility that is already stretched beyond capacity hosting ESPNU and the SEC Network, and the ACC schools, most of which need to build broadcast and production facilities of their own" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/22).

CROSS IT OFF THE LIST: ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson noted Swofford since '12 has "gotten Notre Dame to join in all sports but football" and "secured an annual five-game football scheduling agreement and included the Irish in future bowl partnerships." He also "swapped Maryland for Louisville, a huge upgrade across the board." He also got conference schools to "raise the exit fee" to $50M and he got them to "sign a grant of rights agreement." White said, "Swofford made all the right moves." The ACC has "made a remarkable shift over a very short period of time." Swofford has secured the conference's "future for the next 20 years, all while completely outmaneuvering the Big 12 -- a conference whose future appears the murkiest of them all" (ESPN.com, 7/21). 

STUCK IN THE MUD: Big 12 BOD Chair and Oklahoma President David Boren said the ACC Net "indicates that we live in a very fast-changing world," and his conference needs to be "proactive." CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Solomon noted that statement was a "complete reversal from Boren's comments a month earlier and ran counter to the idea many people in the Big 12 had that expansion would be tabled for now." Perhaps being "reactive now is better than nothing for the Big 12." But compared to the ACC, the Big 12 "easily looks like the most unstable Power Five conference" (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/21).

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