ACC Network (Raycom Sports)

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).

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 sub-license 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.Press Release (July 1, 2014).
ACC Network Has Expanded National Reach
Raycom Sports. Retrieved February 2, 2015.

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 sub-licensed 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 1982-1983 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. 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. 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.

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.

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 sub-licensing 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.

Raycom began syndicating the ACC Network beyond the ACC footprint sometime between 2010 and 2013. 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.

Future

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. 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. Raycom's final syndicated ACC telecast was the 2019 ACC men's basketball tournament final.

Raycom Sports continues to produce select ACC games, however instead of being syndicated to OTA networks, these games are syndicated to regional sports networks under the ACC on Regional Sports Networks branding.

Distribution

United States

Upon its final season ACC Network included:
*35 CW affiliates (including WTTO in Birmingham, WCCT in Hartford, WTOG in Tampa, WUPA in Atlanta, WNOL in New Orleans, WKBD in Detroit, KPLR in St. Louis and KMYS in San Antonio)
*32 MyNetworkTV affiliates (including WUXP in Nashville, WDCA in Washington, WNDY in Indianapolis, WUAB in Cleveland, and WCGV in Milwaukee)
*20 independent stations (including WLNY in New York and KTXA in Dallas)
*12 Fox affiliates (including WOFL in Orlando and WXIX in Cincinnati)
*11 CBS affiliates (including WFOR in Miami, WJZ in Baltimore and WBTV in Charlotte)
*10 NBC affiliates (including WRAL in Raleigh)
*9 ABC affiliates (including WHAS in Louisville, WPVI in Philadelphia and WTAE in Pittsburgh)

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:
*''ACC Football Blitz'' - pre-game in-studio show
*''ACC Basketball Tip-off Show''
*''Kings of the Court''

On-air personalities

ACC Football

* Tim Brant - play-by-play commentator (Retired 2016)
* Dave Archer - color analyst
*Roddy Jones - sideline reporter
*Kate Whitham - host of the ''ACC Blitz''
* Tommy Bowden - co-host/analyst on the ''ACC Blitz''
* Tom Werme - alternate play-by-play commentator
* Renaldo Wynn - alternate color analyst

ACC Basketball

Play-by-play commentators

* Tim Brando
* Tim Brant (Retired March 2016)
* Wes Durham
* Justin Kutcher
* Steve Martin
* Bob Rathbun
*Tom Werme

Color analysts

* Cory Alexander
* Dan Bonner
* Jason Capel
* Mike Gminski
* Dave Odom

See also

* American Sports Network
* ESPN Plus
* Southland Conference Television Network

References

{{Gray TV

Sports television networks in the United States
Gray Television
College sports television networks
College basketball on television in the United States
Gridiron football on television
Simulcasts