Reports: ESPN to pick up ACC contract through 2036, ACC plan proposed for Clemson 'brand'

ESPN has agreed to pick up its option to broadcast ACC sports through 2036, per multiple reports, and that is said to pave the way for a settlement between the league and Clemson and Florida State for the ongoing lawsuits. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / USATODAY)

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Thursday, January 30 2025

A coming aspect surrounding that is some more exposure for brands such as Clemson and Florida State:

Multiple athletic directors told ESPN this could also involve using the ACC's relationship with Notre Dame to strategically create more games against the conference's top-tier teams. Earlier this month, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said he was open to playing more games against Clemson in the future. Notre Dame currently plays five to six regular-season football games against the ACC annually and is a member of the ACC in all other sports.

Negotiations surrounding the option ran in conjunction with discussions between the ACC and Clemson and Florida State on a new revenue distribution model aimed at alleviating the schools' biggest concerns over financial disparities with peers in the Big Ten and SEC, both of which have more generous TV contracts signed over the past two years.

Under the proposed plan, a percentage of the ACC's television revenue would be included in a "brand" fund, and that money would then be distributed to schools that annually generate the most revenue for the conference in football and men's and women's basketball -- with Clemson, Florida State, Miami and North Carolina likely at the top of the pyramid, sources told ESPN.

Should that agreement be finalized -- something sources said is not imminent but was closely tied to the ESPN option -- Clemson and Florida State would be expected to drop their lawsuits...

As part of the settlement, Clemson and Florida State are asking the ACC to agree to reduce penalties for exiting the grant of rights after 2031, when TV contracts for the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 are set to expire.

The ESPN story cites administrators pointing to the demise of the Pac-12 for league members to agree to concessions that steer more money toward bigger athletics brands in the ACC.

Yahoo says that Clemson and FSU have been "inching closer to a resolution" on a settlement "for months now":

"Frustrated over the conference’s long-term TV deal, Clemson and FSU officials have for months been negotiating with league administrators over concessions to remain in the conference. The ACC’s ESPN contract pays a fraction of the SEC and Big Ten’s media money and extends longer than any active major conference deal — a sore subject with the ACC’s biggest brands but a contract that each school president ratified years ago.

"The potential willingness from the schools to remain in the conference is, for some, a shocking revelation and an about-face from their previous actions."

The ACC's stability (and ability to retain its biggest brands) is huge.

With the current Big Ten/Big 12/SEC media deals stretching until the end of the decade, this should keep things relatively stable in the power conferences through 2030ish.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 30, 2025