ACC Network (syndication package)

Last updated

ACC Network
Country
United States
AvailabilityRegional
Headquarters Charlotte, North Carolina
Broadcast area
 United States
Owner Raycom Sports
Parent Gray Television
Key people
  • Ken Haines
  • (President & CEO, Raycom Sports)
  • John Swofford
  • (Commissioner of the ACC)
  • John Skipper
  • (President, ESPN Inc.)
EstablishedDecember 8, 1982
Launch date
September 2010
DissolvedMarch 17, 2019
Affiliates list of affiliates
Official website
 www.theacc.com
www.raycomsports.com

ACC Network was a syndicated package of college sports telecasts featuring football and basketball events from the Atlantic Coast Conference, produced by Raycom Sports, the sports syndication unit of Montgomery, Alabama-based Raycom Media (now owned by Gray Television).

Contents

The package stemmed from a joint venture between Raycom and Jefferson-Pilot Teleproductions, which acquired the rights to ACC basketball in 1982 under the banner Raycom/JP Sports. In 2004, Jefferson-Pilot's ACC football package (which began in 1984) was also moved under Raycom/JP Sports. Jefferson-Pilot was acquired by Lincoln National Corporation in 2006, who would in turn sell its media assets to Raycom in 2006. In 2010, ESPN acquired the rights to ACC basketball and football, but continued to sublicense games to Raycom Sports to continue the syndicated package, which was relaunched under the ACC Network brand. Broadcast games were shown locally on over-the-air broadcast stations, regional sports networks, as well as streaming on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. [1] [2]

In July 2016, ESPN announced an extension of its contract and plans to launch an ACC cable channel of the same name in 2019, and took ownership of the ACC rights that were previously sublicensed to Raycom. In anticipation of the new channel, the "ACC Network" branding during its syndicated telecasts was phased out in 2018. Although ESPN will continue to subcontract Raycom Sports resources for the new channel, Raycom's final syndicated ACC telecast—the 2019 ACC men's basketball championship game—aired March 16, 2019.

History

ACC men's basketball had been broadcast by Raycom/JP Sports, a joint venture of Raycom Sports and Jefferson-Pilot Teleproductions, since the 1982–83 basketball season. The roots of the current package date to 1957, when Greensboro businessman C.D. Chesley hastily assembled a five-station network to broadcast North Carolina's appearance in that year's Final Four. [3] The Tar Heels went on to win the national championship, and Chesley expanded to a full-season package for the 1957–58 season. Chelsey retained the rights until his retirement in 1981, and then Baltimore-based Metrosports had the ACC rights just for the 1981–82 season.

The first ACC basketball telecast by Raycom/JP Sports was an early-season game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Duke Blue Devils on the night of December 8, 1982. [4] [5] It was uncertain whether this first broadcast was going to happen at all until the 9 p.m. tip-off; many East Coast network affiliates were unexpectedly carrying national coverage of a hostage situation at the Washington Monument, tying up the AT&T network lines required for Raycom to distribute the game. [6]

Jefferson-Pilot Teleproductions was the sole producer of ACC football beginning with the 1984 football season, but the Raycom/JP Sports joint venture began to include ACC football for the 2004 season. [7]

In 2006, JP Sports' parent company, the Jefferson Pilot Corporation, merged with Lincoln National Corporation, taking the broadcasting and sports broadcasting divisions with it. JP Sports became Lincoln Financial Sports, thereby renaming the joint venture Raycom/LF Sports. Lincoln announced the sale of its media assets to Raycom Media in November 2007, making Raycom Sports the sole producer of all ACC projects and, from January 2008 until March 2009, SEC men's basketball and football.

In 2010, ESPN acquired rights to ACC football and basketball, replacing Raycom. In a discussion between ACC commissioner John Swofford and then-ESPN president John Skipper, Swofford acknowledged Raycom's long-standing relationship with the conference, and requested that it continue to be involved in some way. ESPN negotiated a sublicensing agreement with Raycom, which would allow it to continue producing a syndicated package of ACC football and basketball broadcasts. As a condition of the deal, they were rebranded under the new on-air title ACC Network. As part of the agreement, Raycom also agreed to operate the ACC's website and digital properties. It was suggested that ESPN agreed to Raycom's involvement, so it would not create conflicts with the SEC Network—ESPN Regional Television's then-new package of syndicated Southeastern Conference football and basketball games, established after ESPN replaced Raycom as the SEC's main rightsholder besides CBS. [8] [9]

Raycom began syndicating the ACC Network beyond the ACC footprint sometime between 2010 and 2013. [5] Beginning with the 2014–2015 academic season, following the discontinuation of ESPN's syndicated SEC package after the launch of the SEC Network cable channel, Raycom expanded the ACC Network's distribution up to 84% of the entire United States. [2] [10]

On July 21, 2016, ESPN announced a 20-year extension of its ACC rights, and that it would launch a new ACC cable network, also known as ACC Network, in 2019, with its accompanying digital platform ACC Network Extra launching in the 2016–17 season. As part of the establishment of the channel, ESPN acquired Raycom Sports' previous package of games. [11] [12] [13] Beginning with the 2018 ACC football season, the ACC Network branding was dropped, and the telecasts began to use the Raycom Sports branding for the final season.

Raycom Sports will continue its role as the ACC's in-house digital media partner, and ESPN will subcontract production resources from Raycom Sports for the new channel. [14] Raycom's final syndicated ACC telecast was the 2019 ACC men's basketball tournament final. [15]

Raycom Sports continues to produce select ACC games, however instead of being syndicated to OTA stations, these games were first syndicated to regional sports networks. Bally Sports—the package's charter affiliate—dropped the ACC package in 2023 amid its bankruptcy. [16] In turn, The CW acquired the package via its newly-formed CW Sports division; [17] many of the network's affiliates had previously carried the syndicated ACC Network.

Distribution

United States

Upon its final season, ACC Network included:

Outside of the U.S., the telecasts could be received in Canada via historic superstations still carried on cable, such as Boston's WSBK-TV, and during its final seasons, WPCH-TV in Atlanta (the former WTBS), as well as over-the-air signals receivable in border markets.

Programming besides live games

Primary source: [18]

On-air personalities

ACC Football

ACC Basketball

Play-by-play commentators

Color analysts

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBTV</span> CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina

WBTV is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located off Morehead Street, just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter is located in north-central Gaston County. In addition, WBTV's studios continue to house the operations of its former sister radio stations currently owned by Urban One: WBT-AM/FM and WLNK, as well as WFNZ, which was previously owned by CBS Radio prior to its acquisition by Beasley Broadcast Group in 2014, followed by Entercom in late 2017 and then Urban One in 2020 under a local marketing agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raycom Sports</span> College sports television syndicator

Raycom Sports is a Charlotte, North Carolina–based producer of sports television programs owned by Gray Television.

ESPN Events is an American multinational sporting event promoter owned by ESPN Inc. It is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and shares its operations with SEC Network and formerly with ESPNU. The corporation organizes sporting events for broadcast across the ESPN family of networks, including, most prominently, a group of college football bowl games and in-season college basketball tournaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Financial Media</span> Broadcasting subsidiary of Lincoln National Corporation

Lincoln Financial Media was a subsidiary of Lincoln National Corporation that owned radio stations in the United States. The division was formed in 2006 following the company's acquisition of Jefferson-Pilot's television and radio operations, which were renamed Lincoln Financial Media.

Men's college basketball on television includes the broadcasting of college basketball games, as well as pre- and post-game reports, analysis, and human-interest stories. Within the United States, the college version of basketball annually garners high television ratings.

ESPN College Basketball is a blanket title used for presentations of college basketball on ESPN and its family of networks. Its coverage focuses primarily on competition in NCAA Division I, holding broadcast rights to games from each major conference, and a number of mid-major conferences.

SEC TV was a syndicated package featuring live broadcasts of college football and basketball events from the Southeastern Conference. It was owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television and shown in more than 50 percent of households in the United States, mostly Southeastern United States markets. SEC TV's football games typically aired in the noon eastern slot that was former home to the Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom Sports SEC game of the week. Games were shown locally on broadcast stations, regional sports networks, as well as on ESPN GamePlan, ESPN Full Court, and WatchESPN.

NCAA Productions is the official film and television production company for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The Big 12 Network was a syndicated package featuring live broadcasts of College basketball events from the Big 12 Conference that was broadcast under that branding from 2008 until 2014. It was owned and operated by ESPN Plus, the syndication arm of ESPN, Inc., and was mainly shown in areas in the Big 12’s geographical footprint, along with other areas of the United States. Games were shown locally on broadcast stations, regional sports networks, as well as on ESPN Full Court, and WatchESPN.

Dave Neal, son of Bob Neal and Melody Gadziala, is a two-time Emmy Award winning American sportscaster currently employed by ESPN. He has 2 sons, Sam and Lil Pete.

ABC first broadcast selected college basketball games of the now-NCAA Division I during the 1960s and 1970s, before it began televising them on a regular basis on January 18, 1987, with a game between the LSU Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats). As CBS and NBC were also broadcasting college games at the time, this put the sport on all three major broadcast television networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Sports Network</span> Network and syndicated package of college sports originated by Sinclair Broadcast Group

American Sports Network (ASN) was a sports brand owned by the U.S. television station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group through its Sinclair Networks subsidiary. Formed in July 2014, the multicast network component of ASN produced broadcasts of sporting events that were aired primarily across stations owned by Sinclair, and syndicated to non-Sinclair stations and regional sports networks.

The Lorimar Sports Network, or LSN, was an American ad hoc television network providing syndicated college football and basketball. It was based at Lorimar's original headquarters in Culver City, California, with an additional office in Dallas, Texas. It was in operation from 1983 until 1986.

ACC Network (ACCN) is an American multinational subscription-television channel owned and operated by ESPN Inc. Dedicated to coverage of the Atlantic Coast Conference, it was announced in July 2016 and launched on August 22, 2019. The channel operates from ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, though some programming and staff is in Charlotte, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 ACC men's basketball tournament</span> College basketball tournament

The 2019 ACC men's basketball tournament was the 66th annual postseason men's basketball tournament for the Atlantic Coast Conference, held March 12–16, 2019, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The ACC on Regional Sports Networks was a package of telecasts produced by Raycom Sports, in cooperation with Bally Sports, previously the Fox Sports Networks, featuring Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) college sports. The package was syndicated primarily to regional sports networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CW Sports</span> Sports division of American broadcast network The CW

CW Sports is the sports programming division of The CW that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried on the network.

<i>ACC on The CW</i> American TV series or program

The ACC on The CW is a presentation of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) college athletics broadcast by The CW, and produced by Raycom Sports.

References

  1. ↑ "ACC Properties - ACC". theacc.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Press Release (July 1, 2014). "ACC Network Has Expanded National Reach" Raycom Sports. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ Rosen, Ron (May 13, 1981). "Chesley TV Era Over". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ 2007 ACC Tournament Official Program, page 24.
  5. 1 2 Haygood, Daniel (Spring 2013). "Through Part of Seven Decades, From C.D. Chesley to Raycom Sports, ACC Basketball has Gaines Exposure Through Partnerships, Distribution, Innovation" (PDF). ACC Sports Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ Wilkerson, Brant (March 11, 2019). "Signing off: Raycom Sports will air its final ACC tournament this week". Greensboro News and Record.
  7. ↑ ACCSlicks.pdf Archived October 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Raycom Sports. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ Smith, Michael; Ourand, John (October 5, 2010). "History with ACC secures future for Raycom". Washington Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  9. ↑ Smith, Michael (October 4, 2010). "History with ACC secures Future for Raycom" (PDF). Sports and Business Journal. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  10. ↑ "ACC Network will be syndicated in 90 million homes". nbcsports.com. July 19, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Art of the deal: How Swofford, ACC, ESPN reached agreement to launch ACC Network". The News & Observer. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  12. ↑ "ACC, ESPN announce new television deal, including launch of ACC Network". syracuse.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  13. ↑ "ESPN-backed ACC Network launches in 2019". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  14. ↑ bwilkerson-new@greensboro.com, Brant Wilkerson-New. "Raycom takes new role as ACC Network plans to debut". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  15. ↑ "The pilot sails no more: After four decades, ACC's longtime TV partner signs off". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  16. ↑ Frankel, Daniel (June 15, 2023). "Bally Sports Kicks Another Asset to the Curb: ACC Football and Basketball Games". NextTV. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 13, 2023). "The CW Lands Rights To Atlantic Coast Conference College Football & Basketball Games Through 2026-27". Deadline. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Raycom/Jefferson Pilot ACC Syndicated Package Promotional Brochures (1990-2013)" (PDF). raycomsports.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.