For the first time ever, ACC games televised on Raycom will not be blacked out on ESPN.
Yes, that means North Carolinians can finally hear Dick Vitale for both Duke-North Carolina games and the ACC Tournament.
In an historic agreement between the ACC and ESPN, ESPN will have exclusive rights to every ACC basketball and football game played over the next 12 years. The agreement goes into effect for the 2011-12 season.
"It's a terrific day for the ACC," commissioner John Swofford said. "We're tremendously proud."
Both parties declined to comment on the financial specifics of the deal, a number which has been rumored to be north of $1 billion. Swofford did say, though, that all schools were receive more than double their current TV revenue.
The biggest news to come out of it for Duke fans will be that, starting in 2011, ESPN will televise both the Duke-North Carolina rivalry games. Raycom has not been completely shut out of the deal, and will simultaneously broadcast the games with ESPN. But the first time ever, ESPN will not be blacked out in ACC territories. This will hold true with regards to the ACC Tournament, as well.
"We will coexist on those games," John Skipper, ESPN Executive Vice President, Content, said. "This will be to the benefit of the ACC. When you combine the ratings from Raycom and ESPN, they will be at historic highs."
If the league expands or contracts, the agreement still stands, according to Swofford.
"The deal remains valid if the conference has a different composition," he said. "[But] the conference is sound and not prone to change.... The schools are bound together by tradition and a commitment to academic and athletic excellence."
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