The Atlantic Coast Conference Council of Presidents announced today that each of the current and future 15-member institutions has signed a grant of media rights, effective immediately.
“This announcement further highlights the continued solidarity and commitment by our member institutions,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “The Council of Presidents has shown tremendous leadership in insuring the ACC is extremely well positioned with unlimited potential.”
“The ACC has long been a leader in intercollegiate athletics, both academically and athletically,” said the collective ACC Council of Presidents. “Collectively, we all agree the grant of rights further positions the ACC and its current and future member schools as one of the nation’s premier conferences.”
Stewart Mandel simplifies what this means; essentially, the ACC ended any speculation of further attrition (SI.com):
The ACC announced Monday that its presidents have signed a Grant of Rights agreement through 2026-27. That means the conference now owns its 15 current and future members’ television rights for the duration of that period, effectively blocking those schools from joining another conference (because what conference would add a school if it can’t cash in on its television revenue)? The Big 12’s own six-year Grant of Rights agreement reached in October 2011 (and since extended through 2025) greatly stabilized that then-tenuous conference, allowing it to add TCU and West Virginia and ink an eventual long-term deal with ESPN and FOX.
While there had been little talk recently of any further realignment among the power conferences, both fans and industry insiders felt another move would come soon enough — and nearly all speculation centered around ACC schools.
