Report: ACC, ESPN closing in on TV network deal
The ACC is close to finalizing a deal with ESPN that will see the conference form its own network, according to Luke Decock of the News and Observer.
The ACC's current deal runs through 2026, but the overall value of the contract has since been surpassed by the SEC and Big Ten.
The new network will reportedly launch in 2019 and will include an extension of the conference's grant rights through 2036. This means that if Notre Dame were to join a conference, it would have to be the ACC, making it virtually impossible for any other program to leave.
“That’s why ESPN is in the discussions with us,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said. “They like to make money, too. And we like to make money, as well.”
Talk of an ACC network have been growing since Notre Dame joined the conference full time with the exception of football in 2012. Adding to the relationship is the new Syracuse athletic director appointment, John Wildhack, is a former ESPN executive.
Terms of the deal and how much each program could make have not been released, but the potential deal does help the ACC's brand going forward in the highly competitive world of college football.
An official announcement could come when the conference's media days take place later this week in Charlotte, N.C.