ESPN and the ACC have signed a contract extension through the 2026-2027 season.
No, that isn’t a typo. The United States has treaties that don’t last that long.
The new deal means ESPN will be on hand to celebrate Mike Krzyzewski’s 80th birthday on Feb. 13, 2027 at Cameron Indoor. What are the odds he’s going for his 1,400th victory? It also means 87-year old Dick Vitale will be there to help Coach K blow out the candles. Dickie V. still will have plenty of hot air left in him.
The $3.6 billion deal (again, not a typo) shows the impact of Syracuse and Pittsburgh being added to the ACC. ESPN.com runs down the key points:
When the ACC adds Pittsburgh and Syracuse, the conference will play an 18-game regular-season men’s basketball schedule — and ESPN networks will show an additional 30 regular-season games, plus two more conference tournament games. The new deal also adds 14 more football games, including three Friday night games (one of which, hosted by Boston College or Syracuse, to be played the day after Thanksgiving).
ESPN will televise a number of regular-season ACC women’s basketball games, plus the entire conference tournament and will increase its coverage of Olympic sports, highlighted by baseball, softball, lacrosse along with men’s and women’s soccer.
Games will also be shown on ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN 3D as well as a number of other ESPN-branded networks both in the U.S. and internationally.
ESPN’s original deal with the ACC was through 2023. The new deal added four years, plus more games. ESPN also gained title sponsorship rights to all conference tournament events, including the ACC men’s tournament, which has never been sponsored.
“We are proud that ESPN has invested so deeply in the ACC both from a resource and exposure standpoint,” said ACC commissioner John Swofford. “As we look to the future, this relationship will be tremendous for our schools, fans, coaches and student-athletes.”
“This expansion and extension of our exclusive agreement brings tremendous value to our company and to ACC fans everywhere,” said John Skipper, president, ESPN and co-chair, Disney Media Networks. “We look forward to showcasing this premier conference across all platforms through 2027.”