By Brian Murphy, WRAL

The ESPN will remain in the ACC business.

The television network exercised its option to extend the league’s base rights agreement through the 2035-26 sports year. The network has a separate agreement for the ACC Network.

The ACC’s future has been subject of much speculation, though ESPN was expected to extend its deal, in part, becuase of the great value it provides. The 18-team league makes less from its media rights pacakge than the SEC and Big Ten, which has caused concern from members of the league. Florida State and Clemson are involved in ongoing lawsuits against the ACC.

“The extension showcases the importance of our long-standing relationship,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement.

The ACC earned more than $481 million in television revenue in the 2022-23 academic year, according to tax documents. The SEC, whose rights are also owned fully by ESPN, earned more than $544 million in the same year, according to the tax documents.

Terms of the contract were not released. The league is expected to receive yearly increases in revenue as it has since this deal began in 2016.

ESPN reported the agreement Thursday morning, reporting that the league could look to change its revenue distribution to benefit schools that bring more value.

ESPN called the ACC “a pillar” of its college sports commitment.

“We remain committed to serving the ACC, its member schools, student athletes and fans via comprehensive live game coverage, storytelling and broad exposure across our unprecedented array of networks and platforms, including ACC Network,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.

Source: wralsportsfan.com