Once the ACC Network launches in August 2019, the conference’s schools will be expected to annually produce 1,000 live events or more, almost all of which will be done at linear TV quality. Here’s a glance at what some ACC schools are spending to prepare.
Note: Some of the private schools elected not to disclose financials.
Boston College
Total Spend: Undisclosed
BC will be ready for the ACC Network’s launch with four control rooms, two of which will be linear-capable. A new broadcast studio will be the site for coaches’ shows and other press events. New Musco LED lighting at all athletic facilities will aid production quality.
Clemson
Total Spend: $6.2 million
Equipment will account for 82 percent of that expense to equip its video department for linear broadcasts. Another $900,000 goes toward renovating facilities and $100,000 is dedicated to hiring and training staff.
Duke
Total Spend: $9 million
Extensive production facilities, including three control rooms (two linear), were built into the $100 million Blue Devil Tower in 2017, putting Duke at the forefront of its peers. The production team already has produced extensively for the ACC’s digital network.
Florida State has already produced broadcasts for ESPN’s softball coverage.Florida State University
Florida State
Total Spend: $7 million
FSU’s production arm underwent $3 million in renovations in the summer of 2016. Two more control rooms are set to open in May 2019 at another $3 million. The school, which already produced the linear broadcasts for ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA softball regional in Tallahassee last spring, expects another $1 million in ancillary costs.
Georgia Tech
Total Spend: $10 million
A 6,350-square-foot production facility is being built inside a vacant building on Georgia Tech’s campus adjacent to McCamish Pavilion. It will include three control rooms, studios and offices.
Louisville
Total Spend: $8 million
The cost includes construction of the broadcast center within an existing warehouse, equipment and fiber connectivity. The university expects to be televising events from the broadcast center this month.
Miami
Total Spend: Undisclosed
The school renovated two control rooms — one is linear capable, the other is digital. Miami also purchased an EVS instant-replay system, a Yamaha audio console, a Datapath video wall control system, an intercom system from RTS and five new Panasonic camera systems, in addition to other equipment.
University of North Carolina
North Carolina
Total Spend: $10 million
One of the ACC’s most extensive projects includes $4 million in construction, $4 million in equipment and another $2 million in additional staffing. A two-story building with control rooms, a studio, a technical operations center and audio mixing booths is being built next to the Smith Center and will take a year to complete.
North Carolina State
Total Spend: $6.6 million
The Murphy Center houses studio and production facilities, while other control rooms are based in the renovated Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack spent $2 million to convert office and recreational space into production rooms, and another $4 million-plus on production equipment to outfit the rooms. Like Virginia, Virginia Tech and others, N.C. State is working with Richmond, Va.-based Anthony James Partners, an audio-visual consultant.
Notre Dame
Total Spend: $10 million+
The Martin Media Center opened last year, giving the Irish a massive 18,000-square-foot operations facility that’s considered among the best in the country on a college campus. Between new and old facilities, Notre Dame has 21,000 square feet of space to house three studios, four control rooms (two are linear capable) and work space for 40 staffers. Another distinction is the way athletics has integrated the media facilities with the university to produce academic, cultural and faith-based programming. The facility cost has been spread over several years, and the school estimates it to be in excess of $10 million.
Pittsburgh
Total Spend: $8 million
The new Pitt Studios will open in October in the Petersen Events Center. A broadcast studio in the lobby will greet fans, while the rest of the facility will house three control rooms, six video edit suites and office space. Pitt also is collaborating with the university’s film and media studies department to create a broadcast curriculum for students.
Syracuse
Total Spend: Undisclosed
In addition to making substantial equipment upgrades, Athletic Director John Wildhack reached into his former employer, ESPN, to hire Scott Hecht as senior producer for Syracuse’s ACC Network operations. Hecht, a 20-year-plus industry vet, last month added supervision of the creative services department. At ESPN, he managed university productions for the SEC Network.
Virginia
Total Spend: $6 million
The cost includes upgrades, control rooms and a studio. Expanded production space on the court level of John Paul Jones Arena will provide space to grow from 1 1/2 to three control rooms. The school converted a merchandise store into a broadcast studio, while moving its apparel and memorabilia sales
to several concourse kiosks.
Virginia Tech
Total Spend: $10 million
The school is adding two linear control rooms for a total of five. It’s converting postgame interview space in the south end of Lane Stadium to accommodate new equipment and renovating the west side of the stadium entrance into studio space for game days and potentially other big events. The school also is hiring a staff of 10.
Wake Forest
Total Spend: Undisclosed
The former clubhouse at Couch Ballpark is being converted to a 3,400-square-foot command center with a linear control room and a digital control room. Another mobile control room will be housed in a truck. Two more control rooms — one at the football stadium and one at the basketball arena — will manage the in-venue video boards. Wake has hired two of its five new positions for the network.
