ACC Commissioner John Swofford confirmed that the conference "will stage multiple league games" on the forthcoming ACC Network starting with the '19 football season, according to David Teel of the Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS. Swofford, speaking at the ACC Media Day in Charlotte yesterday, also said that the league is "seriously considering playing seven conference men’s basketball games, spread over multiple days, to start" the '19-20 season. Swofford said, “It would be exciting in terms of a new network and would bring people to the network right at the beginning of the season. ... I think fans would be into it both from a network standpoint as well as from a competition standpoint. If we could arrange it where almost every school played, that would be a heck of a way to start the basketball season. It would have a tremendous pop to it.” Teel notes a full complement of conference games to start the season "would be unprecedented for the ACC." It would also "help manage a league schedule that expands from 18 to 20 games per team" in '19-20, to "coincide with the network’s launch." Swofford said that new ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro is "as committed to the ACC Network project" as predecessor John Skipper (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 7/19). Raleigh-based WCMC-FM's Joe Ovies: "Launching a cable channel in an era of a la carte infinite content is not an easy task. When ESPN sets sail with the ACC Network in 2019, the vast media ocean could be even choppier." AP's Andrew Hammond: "ACC=Network. SEC=Network. B1G=Network. Pac-12=Network. Big 12=Still waiting on technology to dictate next move" (TWITTER.com, 7/18).
ALL IN THE PLAN: The official logo for the ACC Network was also unveiled yesterday, and Swofford said that a "programming schedule for live events will be created this fall, with decisions made on who will be brought on as in-studio and play-by-play talent in the spring." Swofford said that school and ESPN production directors "recently held a two-day summit to begin the planning process" for '19. He said, "I really want to acknowledge the work done by our schools, their production directors, the decisions that have been made on our campuses for the buildouts that will be necessary for us to have the channel. We're in great shape with that." Swofford: "They've done an excellent job in preparing for the ACC linear productions, while simultaneously producing over 1,000 games last year for ACC Network Extra, well beyond the 600 which we initially anticipated" (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 7/19). In North Carolina, Samuel Evers notes Swofford "expects to nail down TV slots for all of the live events for the fall, summer and spring" of '19 and '20 "by this fall." The conference will also "make final decisions on non-live content by the end of this academic season and will know the on-air personalities to go along with those shows by the spring." Regarding the legalization of sports gambling, Swofford said that his "gut-feeling is against betting on college athletes." He said, "We're going to have to see how it plays out some” (Greenville DAILY REFLECTOR, 7/19).
DISCUSSION TIME: In Pittsburgh, Brian Batko notes the primary topics at the kickoff of the media days were the ACC Network, the "intersection of college athletics with sports gambling and, naturally, the touting of the conference’s accomplishments" by Swofford. Swofford was "asked about declining attendance in college football" after the ACC "saw its average attendance decline by 1,292 fans per game" in '17. That was the "third-largest drop among the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and second-largest in the power five." Swofford said, “Every school’s a little different -- School A might have a parking problem, School B not at all -- but I think what our schools are finding is sharing information about the in-stadium experience and also modernizing the stadiums and bringing them up to snuff so to speak (is the best approach)” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/19).
