RSN Collapse & ACC games?

[cease10]

I haven't seen this discussed anywhere. How does the impending collapse of the Regional Sports Networks affect the ACC?

I think the ACC had maybe one football game a week on RSN and some basketball games. What happens to the rights to those games if the RSNs fail? Do they automatically go to ESPN? Or does the ACC retain the rights and can put them up to market for other entities to bid on for more money?

I know it's just one football game and it wouldn't be a truckload of money, but was just wondering.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Without doing any research and going off my prior knowledge, I’d imagine there are two possible solutions:

Raycom Sports continues to produce games with whoever acquires the RSN affiliates

OR

The games simply become ACCN Extra exclusives

I’d imagine the first choice is the likely answer since (IIRC) Raycom itself isn’t impacted, but I’m not sure how it’d play out if, for example, some RSN channels aren’t purchased and simply sign-off.

 

[cease10]

Without doing any research and going off my prior knowledge, I’d imagine there are two possible solutions:

Raycom Sports continues to produce games with whoever acquires the RSN affiliates

OR

The games simply become ACCN Extra exclusives

I’d imagine the first choice is the likely answer since (IIRC) Raycom itself isn’t impacted, but I’m not sure how it’d play out if, for example, some RSN channels aren’t purchased and simply sign-off.

Good points. I totally forgot about the Raycom component, so it'll be up to Raycom to decide where the rights move if the RSNs collapse and that means no extra money for the ACC.

For Baseball, I read that if the RSNs fail, the rights would revert to the the MLB team, so I thought maybe it would be similar for the ACC. Totally forgot about the Raycom component that probably own the rights and then sells to the RSN.

 

[h2p_5150]

Those games might have gone away anyways. The Big Ten is moving to FOX/CBS/NBC so ESPN will need to backfill somewhere.

 

[cease10]

Those games might have gone away anyways. The Big Ten is moving to FOX/CBS/NBC so ESPN will need to backfill somewhere.

You're probably right. I've seen folks say that it was short term and they've already relinquished some rights to ESPN in the past year.....specifically women's basketball and baseball tournament games.

 

[Dan1911]

Time to resurrect Jefferson-Pilot.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Without doing any research and going off my prior knowledge, I’d imagine there are two possible solutions:

Raycom Sports continues to produce games with whoever acquires the RSN affiliates

OR

The games simply become ACCN Extra exclusives

I’d imagine the first choice is the likely answer since (IIRC) Raycom itself isn’t impacted, but I’m not sure how it’d play out if, for example, some RSN channels aren’t purchased and simply sign-off.

Way back when, Raycom bought a package of games from ESPN. The fact that ESPN allowed this for Raycom to stay in business is a big reason why we are in the ACC and the league is in the position its in. They didn't go to market in large part because ESPN promised to sell games to Raycom.

Raycom kept some games for itself for syndication to over-the-air networks and sold games to Fox Sports South (now Bally Sports) that Raycom would produce but FSS would distribute. I'm not sure how the contract reads. Did Raycom outright sell these games to FSS meaning FSS, now Bally, or whoever buys Bally will own them? Or did Raycom keep ownership but allow FSS/Bally to distribute the games? If FSS/Bally owns this package, they would go to the Bally successor if there is one.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Yeah, not sure of the terms of the Raycom/Fox Sports /Bally 'sublicensing' but I think that deal went through 2027. So that's 5 years of games that are left I guess. I think the Fox/Bally is only like 1 fb and 1-2 bb games a year ?

 

[4382]

Way back when, Raycom bought a package of games from ESPN. The fact that ESPN allowed this for Raycom to stay in business is a big reason why we are in the ACC and the league is in the position its in. They didn't go to market in large part because ESPN promised to sell games to Raycom.

Raycom kept some games for itself for syndication to over-the-air networks and sold games to Fox Sports South (now Bally Sports) that Raycom would produce but FSS would distribute. I'm not sure how the contract reads. Did Raycom outright sell these games to FSS meaning FSS, now Bally, or whoever buys Bally will own them? Or did Raycom keep ownership but allow FSS/Bally to distribute the games? If FSS/Bally owns this package, they would go to the Bally successor if there is one.

Don't forget Swofford had to protect his son who worked for Raycom.

 

[topdecktiger]

I haven't seen this discussed anywhere. How does the impending collapse of the Regional Sports Networks affect the ACC?

I think the ACC had maybe one football game a week on RSN and some basketball games. What happens to the rights to those games if the RSNs fail? Do they automatically go to ESPN? Or does the ACC retain the rights and can put them up to market for other entities to bid on for more money?

I know it's just one football game and it wouldn't be a truckload of money, but was just wondering.

They go back to ESPN.