The ACC’s new TV deal: What it means for football

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The ACC announced today an extension of its partnership with ESPN that will go through the 2026-27 season.

Dollar figures were not released, but the Sports Business Journal is reporting that the new deal is $3.6 billion over 15 years, which comes out to $17 million a year for each of the 14 schools once Pittsburgh and Syracuse join the league.

The previous deal signed in 2010 was worth $1.86 billion over 12 years, or roughly $13 million a year for each of the 12 schools.

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This renegotiation came about because of the additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse, which were announced eight months ago and could come as early as next year. But the dollar figure was driven up by the market. Just last year, the Pac-12 signed a 12-year deal with ESPN and Fox that was reportedly close to $3 billion.

Some other items of note on the football side:

There will be 14 more conference-controlled games televised each year.
ESPN has the right to televise three Friday ACC football games per year. That includes a commitment from Boston College and Syracuse to each host one game, plus an afternoon or evening game on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

How do the dollars compare to other conferences?

According to the Sports Business Journal, the Big Ten and Pac-12 both are distributing close to $21 million per school a year. Current deals in place with the SEC and Big 12 pay $17 million and $15 million per school, respectively.

But, the Big Ten and Pac-12 both have their own networks, which stand to increase profits over time. The SEC and Big 12, meanwhile, are renegotiating their TV deals after last year’s expansions. The Big 12 is reportedly close to a 13-year deal with ESPN and Fox worth $2.6 billion that would pay each of its member schools $20 million a year. The SEC’s renegotiated contract figures will probably top them all.

So while the ACC’s new deal might temporarily push the league into the neighborhood of the other conferences financially, over time it looks like it will still be playing catch-up to its BCS brethren.