ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference have agreed on a rights deal that extends through the 2026-27 season and will mean additional football, men's and women's basketball and Olympic sports coverage on a variety of platforms.
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."
