I doubt the numbers are as big as some expect or as dismal as others predict. Returns from the network will be somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where they fall, both camps will say they were right.

Personally I am looking forward to the network. I consider myself a conference homer, have never been much of an ACC fan though so it has taken some time for me to get used to the matchups especially in basketball, but I am getting there.

I hope the network does well but it won’t matter to me either way.

(02-22-2019 02:37 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 01:19 PM)Hallcity Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 12:29 PM)Lou_C Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 08:58 AM)orangefan Wrote:  

(02-21-2019 12:52 PM)Lou_C Wrote:  I'm really curious to see where this goes. $8-10M INITIALLY seems awfully aggressive. Considering that hasn't been really confirmed anywhere, it wouldn't shock me (as Nole said) that Wilcox misspoke (threw out what were really long term projections as "initial") or was just mistaken.

This is around what the SEC Network generated for SEC member in its first full year, and indeed I think it is a bit less. Remember, ESPN launched the SEC Network with almost full distribution from Day One. That is ESPN's goal with respect to the ACC Network.

The SEC Network has been a massive success for ESPN. In an environment with slipping subscriber numbers and ad revenues, the SEC Network has provided offsetting gains. ESPN is tremendously anxious to repeat that success and will put maximum effort into achieving a similar result with the ACC Network.

The SEC Network did benefit from the fact that ESPN's contracts with most of the major carriers were up for renegotiation at the time it was launched, and ESPN was able to exert maximum leverage as a result. Unfortunately, it is not clear to me that ESPN will be in the same position in 2019.

I'm actually not sure that was as true with the SEC Network. My understanding is that they had to strike individual deals to pick it up in most cases, but maybe there were some that were up.

I do know that the 2019 launch for the ACC network was specifically coordinated to coincide with as many deals as possible, with Altice (done), Verizon (done), Spectrum and ATT all coming due in late 2018 to 2019.

So far, so good, but I still haven't heard of a single deal yet for the carriers who are not up with Disney, of which there are some. Those usually come much closer to launch. Comcast added the SEC Network in July.

That's what's to watch...whether the ACCN gets Comcast, DirecTV, Dish and others over the summer. I don't think it will necessarily be make or break, because they are going to be on a lot of homes from the jump, and the worst case scenario is probably that they're off those until the next Disney contract. But it will certainly subdue enthusiasm and initial payouts.

I've got a great idea for how to get everybody on board. Duke schedules a home and home basketball games with Kentucky with the first game in Cameron in November 2019, only available on the ACC network. Not likely to happen but that would be a big incentive to sign.

The ACCN will have enough marque and ranked matchups on without having to put a game like Duke Kentucky on it.

Interesting post, and I hope you don't mind if an SEC guy (Kentucky) chimes in. I agree that the ACCN does not need crossover SEC games to succeed. However, I do see some leveraging that ESPN could do to ensure that carriers offer both SECN and ACCN as a bundle to Southern states. The massive crossover games that would cause a regional and national uproar if not covered on network/basic cable (USC/Clemson FB, Florida/Florida State FB, Kentucky/UL BB, etc.) should not be leveraged, but I see tremendous benefits in using every effort to let the home team in an SEC/ACC crossover series host on their network. For example, games like UT/VT FB, UNC/USC FB, or Kentucky/UVA BB would be excellent Saturday night games that would draw enough major interest to spend a little extra on both packages. As long as the home team's network carries it an it is a home/home series where both sides get equal coverage opportunity, it is a great way to build some enduring rivalries between our schools. Culturally, most of our schools have at least one or two schools from the other conference that have strong alignment. From the SEC, I think the biggest winners in such a scenario in terms of exposure would be UK, UT, Vandy, and USC. From the ACC, I think Louisville, NC State, VT, and GT would stand to gain quite a bit.

(02-22-2019 12:29 PM)Lou_C Wrote:  That's what's to watch...whether the ACCN gets Comcast, DirecTV, Dish and others over the summer. I don't think it will necessarily be make or break, because they are going to be on a lot of homes from the jump, and the worst case scenario is probably that they're off those until the next Disney contract. But it will certainly subdue enthusiasm and initial payouts.

Well, boom. DirectTV just picked up the ACC Network. Still have Comcast and a few others to go, but that's a huge one. I'd say it's 99% that the ACC Network launches with near universal carriage, like the SEC Network. ESPN knows what they're doing.

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Dail...c-net.aspx

Of course, then we'll just have to wait and see about the money.

The ESPN hype machine is cranking up another notch, too...

Sweet. Looks like I have another reason to hang onto DirecTV.

We can now start guessing on the DIRECTV channel number. I think 612 makes the most sense, with 609 being my backup guess.

(03-12-2019 01:07 PM)Schema Wrote:  We can now start guessing on the DIRECTV channel number. I think 612 makes the most sense, with 609 being my backup guess.

Yeah I bet you're right. 612 would be right next to SEC, and pretty much next to FS2.

accnetwork will be bigger success than expected

Link
https://floridastate.rivals.com/news/tv-...n-expected

(03-15-2019 11:57 AM)GTFletch Wrote:  accnetwork will be bigger success than expected

Link
https://floridastate.rivals.com/news/tv-...n-expected

Good news!