The ACC Network is "off and running with its first distribution deals," as the ESPN-owned conference channel "recently secured its first carriage agreements with digital video providers, guaranteeing that the channel will be available to consumers when it launches" in August '19, according to Ourand & Smith in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The deals "mark an important first step that comes as critics question the network’s viability in such a volatile media marketplace." ESPN "would not identify the providers who agreed to a deal, saying it is with providers whose carriage deals run" beyond '19. Whether bigger distributors "push back on the ACC Network in an environment where pay-TV channels have been losing subscribers remains to be seen, but one of the first tests will come this fall when ESPN renegotiates its affiliate deal with cable operator Altice USA, formerly Cablevision." Sources said that ESPN also has affiliate deals "coming up" with Verizon Fios (end of '18), Charter (mid-'19) and AT&T (late '19). ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Scheduling Burke Magnus: "We’ve yet to really get into the meat of distribution conversations because it is a couple years away. We feel every bit as optimistic as we did when we announced it." Ourand & Smith writes if the ACC Net launches like the SEC Net, that "could result" in a $100M profit for ESPN, which "explains why the media giant is throwing its weight behind an ACC linear channel at a time when it might seem counterintuitive" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/26 issue). In Orlando, Matt Murshel writes this is "big news" for the ACC (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/27).
TECH SPECS: Georgia Tech AD Todd Stansbury discussed the ACC Net in his monthly podcast. Many ACC schools are investing millions into production facilities, and Stansbury said of GT’s plans, “There are two parts. One is making sure we’ve got fiber going to all of our venues. Making sure we’ve got the control rooms and the studios and the infrastructure that we’re going to need to produce the amount of content that we’re going to need to produce at the level we’re going to need to produce it at. Then there’s the human element, and making sure we’ve got the staff with the expertise -- both on the technical side and talent side. We’re in the process now of building out the infrastructure and hiring the engineering aspect of the technical support we’re going to need so we’re building what we’re supposed to build and buying the equipment we need to produce at the level that ESPN requires.” Stansbury felt more weeknight football games could creep into GT’s schedule with the launch of the ACC Net, saying, “The success of the ACC Network is going to be compelling TV, and compelling TV is big games. ... That’s the double-edged sword of TV. It does generate a heck of lot of income, but you also end up competing against yourself." Stansbury said while weeknight games are "logistically tough,” there are “only one or two games on TV" at those times. Stansbury: “You have to balance how many you do and when you do it. ... It’s an electric setting. But having said that, it’s also a logistical nightmare for the boots on the ground, because you have school that day and our fans can’t get into the lots early or tailgate like they normally do. So it’s one of those things that is great from a branding standpoint and great for recruiting. You’re not in the clutter of Saturday where there are multiple games, so people actually get to see you play. ... But it is tough on the faculty, tough on the institution" ("The Todd Stansbury Podcast," RAMBLINWRECK.com, 6/23).
