ESPN
has extended its agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
through the 2026-27 season, the network announced Wednesday.
In
July 2010, the two parties struck a 12-year deal for the Worldwide
Leader to carry the conference's basketball and football games.
The new agreement tacks on an additional four years and adds more
sponsorship rights, men's basketball and football games, as well as
Olympic sports competitions.
ESPN
acquires title sponsorship rights for the first time beyond football,
including the Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments; the Men's
tournament has never been sponsored in its 59-year existence.
The
new deal also covers the increased amount of conference games in both
football and basketball; beginning with the 2012-13 season, Pittsburgh
and Syracuse University join the conference. ESPN gains the right to
televise three Friday ACC football contests annually, which will include a
standing commitment from Boston College and Syracuse to each host one
game as well as an afternoon or evening game on Thanksgiving Friday.
ESPN
has been televising ACC content since 1979 and holds the exclusive
rights to every conference-controlled football and men's basketball
game, plus women's basketball and Olympic sports matchups, and all ACC
championship events.
John
Skipper, president, ESPN and co-chair, Disney Media Networks, said,
"This expansion and extension of our exclusive agreement brings
tremendous value to our company and to ACC fans everywhere. We look
forward to showcasing this premier conference across all platforms
through 2027."
"We
are excited to have further enhanced our partnership with ESPN through
the extension of our multimedia contract," said ACC Commissioner John
Swofford.
The
deal covers all of the ESPN's various platforms, including ESPN, ESPN
on ABC, ESPN2, WatchESPN.com, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, ESPN Mobile TV,
ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line, ESPN
International, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic and ESPN.com.
