The ACC's addition of Syracuse and Pittsburgh will give the conference "another crack at negotiating its media rights deal with ESPN," according to Smith & Ourand of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The conference earlier this month began its latest rights deal "that already is considered well below market value," and the opportunity to "reopen its 12-year, $1.86 billion deal with ESPN was a significant factor in the ACC's decision to expand." The ESPN deal, valued at $155M per year, "contains a standard line called a 'composition clause' that allows either the conference or ESPN to reopen the deal if membership increases or decreases by at least two schools." The agreement "does not permit the ACC to take its rights to the open market." ACC Commissioner John Swofford said that he "looks forward to meeting with ESPN soon, although he didn't put a timetable on it." Asked if he "anticipates the ACC's per-school revenue of $12.9 million a year to increase" from the current deal, Swofford said, "The simple answer is yes." He added, "We expect to do better than our schools staying even." ACC school officials "wouldn't say exactly how much more money they expect, but industry executives suggest that the ACC's new contract could increase in value by as much as $2 million per school per year, which would make the overall conference deal worth nearly $210 million a year." ESPN in a statement said, "Conversations continue with our conference partners regarding conference composition clauses in our existing contracts. We are looking forward to discussions with the ACC" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/26 issue).
