The ACC is expecting to get its own channel sooner rather than later.
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, the ACC and ESPN are “close” to reaching a new deal that would launch a channel for the league. Per the report, the conference would have its own cable channel as well as content delivered via the internet.
ESPN reported that the ACC Network would launch no later than August 2019 and that the conference extended its grant of rights through 2036:
ACC Network will launch by August 2019 & ACC extends conference grant of rights thru 2036, sources told @ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 19, 2016
ACCs new grant of rights means if Notre Dame joins football conference before 2036, it has to be ACC
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 19, 2016
The ACC’s original grant of rights, agreed upon in 2013, was to run through 2026-27. The deal protects the league from conference realignment.
Financially, a new ACC Network would put the league in a position to catch up with other Power 5 conferences that are capitalizing on lucrative TV deals. While the ACC’s federal return showed a 33.4-percent increase in revenue in 2014-15 compared to the previous year, the conference still lagged far behind the SEC and Big Ten.
More information on the ACC and ESPN’s progress toward a channel for the league could come as early as this week. The ACC Football Kickoff will take place on Thursday and Friday in Charlotte, N.C.