Interesting comments:
1.
Swofford and the ACC continue to be patient on the TV front
Swofford emphasized the ACC's history as a visionary (his word). He also emphasized, without actually coming out and saying it, exactly, how much the ACC is interested in emerging technology. Swofford noted that discussions with ESPN, its primary TV partner, aren't just about rights fees and traditional TV talk.
No, Swofford said, “there's a lot more negotiations about developing businesses together that are a partnership.” So what would such a business look like between the ACC and ESPN? Some sort of streaming service, perhaps? Live sports on demand? We shall see.
2.
A centralized “collaborative” replay system is coming to the ACC .
And here's how it will work, roughly: Plays that are under review will be examined both by the replay official who is physically present at the game, but also by a replay official, or officials (the number hasn’t been officially decided, but it’d likely range from two to three per game), back at league headquarters in Greensboro.
Those officials – the ones on site and the ones at league headquarters – will then work in tandem to make sure a call is correct. The idea isn't for the guys back at headquarters to “overrule” the crew that's working the game. It's about working together.
The idea, too, is to decrease the likelihood of mistakes. And more eyeballs, and more checks and balances, should make hope a reality. The logistics have yet to be finalized, but “collaborative replay,” which is what the ACC is calling it, is coming to every ACC stadium and every ACC game.
Right now it's only experimental for the 2016 season. But there's a strong chance that this becomes a permanent part of ACC games. The ACC is the first conference to do this, but others are considering it.
Here's what Swofford said about the use of a centralized replay hub:
“We're going to jump in significantly with the opportunity to experiment with collaborative replay in football. I know you know that the coaches were unanimously for that. I felt like we needed to be aggressive in being a part of this experimentation. So we will utilize that for the '16 season.
“It will be in every stadium, every venue. It will be used in every game. And that will give us an opportunity to see how it works. I'm sure we'll learn a lot from it, but we want to do everything that we can do to enhance officiating.”
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/colle...01762.html
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What we learned at the ACC spring meetings ...Collaborative Replay (Link)
