All signals are go for the ACC TV network to go live in 2019. That’s the word from John Swofford, commissioner of Atlantic Coast Conference, regarding the future of the network.
In a memo distributed Tuesday to ACC administrators, Swofford wrote:
“As you may have seen, some of the so-called ‘experts’ on social media, in light of ESPN’s recently announced layoffs, have questioned whether the ACC’s linear network will launch.
“I write to let you know that I have had multiple conversations with John Skipper, as recently as this morning, and have total confirmation that the ACC/ESPN linear network is full speed ahead and unaffected by the aforementioned events at ESPN.”
His memo followed news from the University of Louisville Athletic Association about plans for an $8 million production studio by 2019 to help meet the school’s television broadcast needs. The new network will enable fans to tune in ACC games on their cable TV connections.
Currently numerous conference athletic events are being streamed live on ACC Extra, an online network available to users of the Internet. Users connect in a wide variety of ways, including Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire Stick devices.
Hopefully, the ACC, along with its member institutions, is flexible and prepared to deal with rapid changes in technology. ESPN, in particular, has been hard hit by losses in cable subscribers.
There will always be a market for actual ACC competition and games, as opposed to all the talking heads on radio and TV these days.