In a typical Friday afternoon news dump last week, the ACC responded to FSU’s lawsuit saying FSU may have the ability to purchase back their TV rights.
That’s an idea raised in the ACC’s motion to dismiss FSU’s lawsuit in Leon County.
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This is significant because it sets precedent for others (Clemson, Miami, North Carolina) to do the same in the future. If those schools were to follow suite, it would be likely that ESPN would announce before the sunset date of 2/28/25 that they are opting out of the remaining 10 years of the ACC deal that runs through 2036.
With the Big Ten and SEC announcing a join coalition at the same time that it is being reported that ESPN, FOX and Warner Brothers will be launching a new streaming service, one has to wonder if these are related.
The College Football Playoff needs a new TV deal starting in 2026. With that in mind, it feels likely that the media partners would push for conference realignment and stability ahead of that 2026 date.
I just hope they can figure out a set-up that maximizes the College Football viewership experience, while also fixing the logistical issues that realignment has caused for all the other non-revenue sports.