Report: ESPN wants to delay ACC Network |
ESPN and the ACC conference have been in works to launch an ACC Network starting in 2017, but it appears that it will take longer for the TV network to come to fruition.
Georgia Tech President G.P. Peterson let the cat out of the bag at last week's Georgia Tech Athletic Association quarterly board meeting. "(ESPN) had come back and said that in some of the other instances where (conference) networks have started, they lost considerable amounts of money in the first couple of years," Peterson said via AJC.com. “What they’d like to do is delay the start for a couple years and do the necessary preparation." One reason to delay the ACC channel is to structure a broad distribution strategy with cable corporations to ensure long-term success. In exchange for a later start date, ESPN could make additional payments on top of the rights fees already paid to the conference, Peterson said. The ACC reportedly earned $197.2 million in TV revenues in 2013-2014 for an average of 19.3 million for each league member. This is below the average of the other conferences: Big Ten ($26.4 mil), PAC-12 ($21 mil), SEC ($20.9 mil) and Big 12 ($19.8 mil). Good news for Clemson fans is that the ACC network appears to be happening, but the unfortunate reality is that the income-producing channel is taking much longer than anticipated.
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