ACC Network is set to televise five football games involving conference teams this weekESPN IMAGES
The ACC Network airs its first football game tonight with Georgia Tech-Clemson, though the net still "has no deals with Cox cable, Comcast cable (Xfinity) or the Dish Network," according to Mark Berman of the ROANOKE TIMES. The channel, which launched Aug. 22, will "televise five football games involving ACC teams this week." Virginia area customers of cable companies yet to pick up ACC Network have "expressed their frustration" due to the number of games on the channel involving either Virginia or Virginia Tech. UVA's first three football games, including Saturday's opener at Pitt, is on the channel, while it also will "televise two of Virginia Tech's first three football games, including Saturday's opener at Boston College" (ROANOKE TIMES, 8/29). Syracuse AD John Wildhack said, “We’re right on track with the projections that the conference and ESPN gave us. We’re in more homes when it launched than the Big Ten Network was (when it launched). We’re in far more homes than the Pac-12 Network is now, so we think the launch was a successful launch.” Wildhack noted conversations continue with Cox, Comcast and Dish and said, "Hopefully in time, ESPN will be able to bring those distributors on-board.” Wildhack: "Clearly the goal is to have every distributor on-board” ("Syracuse Sports Podcast, SYRACUSE.com, 8/28).
GAME CHANGER: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said, "To be able to have a network that's constantly talking about the ACC, not only talking about the ACC but promoting our league and giving all of our teams a platform all day every day, we've not had that." Swinney: "Now we have that. And it's a game-changer." He added, "The content, brand awareness, and then also the rhetoric. We live in this rhetoric world. Now the ACC has its own channel and own people that will sit around and talk about our league every day. I'm excited about it" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/27).
ALL ACCESS PASS: In Louisville, Lucas Aulbach noted a "behind-the-scenes look" at Louisville's football team "airs this weekend on the ACC Network." The program, "All Access: Louisville Football," will air at 9:00pm ET on Sunday, ahead of the team's "season opener a day later against Notre Dame." New football coach Scott Satterfield arrived in December, and "cameras have been rolling for much of that time." The "All Access" show will be "in the same style as the NFL's 'Hard Knocks,'" and could "provide the closest look yet at how Satterfield runs the show, from the sidelines at practice to the meeting room" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 8/28).
CARRIAGE ISSUE: In Syracuse, Mark Weiner noted U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) "wants to know if Spectrum cable violated a consumer fraud settlement" with the state by moving to "block some customers from receiving the new ACC Network." Brindisi reacted to a report that found Charter-Spectrum "won't provide legacy Time Warner Cable customers with the ACC Network unless they switch to a Spectrum cable package." That move affects about 18% of Spectrum customers in Central N.Y. Brindisi said that he will "ask Spectrum and parent company Charter Communications to provide a justification for excluding legacy customers of Time Warner Cable from the new network" (Syracuse POST-STANDARD, 8/28).
