The top topic for many fans of ACC fans outside of on the field results of their teams is how to increase revenue and future football schedule, and Comcast potentially coming onboard to make the ACC Network available for their subscribers.
Below the podcast give some indication where things are headed. The first 20 minutes discuss the above topics.
It’s a very good listen, that I recommend.
An ACC Podcast: @ByDavidTeel was kind enough to tell me why panic over the state of college basketball might not be warranted. Plus, how can the ACC increase its $? Or can it? And what WILL NIL mean? https://t.co/sty7j7yWc7
— Lauren Brownlow (@lebrownlow) June 5, 2021
Some notes from the podcast…
Increasingly it looks Comcast will add the ACC Network to their channel lineup. This coincides with recently made comments by Jim Phillips. Comcast is the primary Cable provider of the Atlanta metro area, several metropolitan locations in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, the Northeast, and Indiana. Do not underestimate the amount of revenue this would add to the ACC. No it’s not catching the SEC or Big 10, but it’s going to be a significant.
Regarding the Lookins from ESPN that Teel mentioned in the podcast. The ACC doesn’t have a lot of flexibility to move the needle with their current contract, but they do have something to work with – football scheduling.
I would fully expect the scheduling model in ACC football to change in the next 3-5 years to create more attractive conference matchups and more frequent conference matchups than we have now. However that model works, ESPN will have some influence and that will affect the current TV Deal.
Maybe the ACC was a bit more savvy managing this than we give them credit for. The ACC could have changed their schedule at anytime, but do it in line with a lookin period could make it more financially beneficial.
Notre Dame – the holy grail – is also discussed, but that’s still pretty far off to me as the Irish remain obsessed with their outdated independent model and hitch their identity to it. We’re probably still decade or so away from that happening, if ever.
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2 pings
Terry says:
June 5, 2021 at 11:40 am (UTC -5)
ND fan here. The early returns on the 2020 season are that ND fans are now more in favor of independence than ever before.
Many ACC fans thought the opposite result would occur with ND playing a season as a conference member.
A survey of 1,500 ND fans who subscribe to The Athletic:
“Did Notre Dame playing in the ACC last season make you feel more positively about the idea of the football program joining a conference?
Yes: 29.2 percent
No: 70.8 percent
ND fans were grateful to the ACC for the 2020 season but it felt “straightjacketed” in playing 9 ACC teams.
There was somewhat of a feeling of liberation when ND went back to being an independent.
Whether you think it “outdated” or not, I don’t think that ND will give up football independence ever, especially if the playoffs expand.
The ACC needs to consider other expansion candidates than ND.
Jfann says:
June 5, 2021 at 1:16 pm (UTC -5)
I tend to agree that I don’t see ND joining anytime soon if ever and definitely not something the ACC should look towards the future as a viable option.
They should treat it like an open invitation that probably won’t ever be accepted unless the playoff structure does something like weight conference champions.