Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – We're only one month away from launch!
ACC Network will officially become part of the national sports media landscape on Aug. 22 when this joint venture between The ACC and ESPN hits the airwaves.
The most important thing Virginia Tech fans can do in the coming weeks is to make sure their provider carries ACC Network. Fans can visit getaccn.com to check providers in their area. If your provider isn't planning to carry ACC Network, speak up and demand it!
Six Tech live events are currently scheduled to air exclusively on ACC Network. You won't want to miss any of them, including the kickoff of the 2019 Hokies' football schedule on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Boston College.
Fall 2019 LIVE Virginia Tech events on ACC Network
| Date | Sport | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 31 | Football | at Boston College | 4 p.m. |
| Sept. 14 | Football | vs. Furman | Noon |
| Sept. 27 | Men's Soccer | vs. Boston College | 1 p.m. |
| Sept. 29 | Volleyball | at Pitt | 4 p.m. |
| Oct. 6 | Women's Soccer | vs. Duke | 2 p.m. |
| Oct. 13 | Women's Soccer | at NC State | 5 p.m. |
For an in-depth look at the ACC Network, featuring insight from Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock, check out this story from David Glenn of The Athletic ($). theathletic.com/1071306/
Here are a few of the notable quotes from Babcock and ACC Commissioner John Swofford from that article:
"Clearly, ESPN brings tremendous leverage to the distribution table. That's one of the many reasons, one of the biggest reasons, we've been so optimistic about the ACC Network from the start." – John Swofford
"(ESPN) picked 2019 for a reason. They are a worldwide industry leader, obviously. They do business at the very highest level. This was strategic. Their distribution deals with their biggest partners were coming up over a period of years.
"So, in this (ACC Network) case, patience was warranted. That patience is paying off, as you'll see with our early distribution numbers, and we're thrilled to be doing business with the best in the business." – Whit Babcock
"You always want distribution to be as high as possible at launch, of course, but you also want to do things right for the long run. We understand that it could take two or three years to get close to what we would consider full distribution. In either case, our numbers at launch are going to be fantastic." – Whit Babcock
In Glenn's article, he cites three very important and impressive examples of ACC Network's anticipated distribution at launch next month:
- The ACC Network already knows it will start with more subscribers (well more than 20 million) than the Pac-12 Network has (19 million) seven years after launch.
- The ACC Network already knows it will start with more subscribers than the Big Ten Network had (less than 18 million) at its launch in 2007.
- The ACC Network also knows it is even ahead of the pace the SEC Network set in 2014. Five-plus weeks before its Aug. 14 launch, the SEC Network had only one major partner in place, Dish Network, which had about 14 million customers at the time
This fall, Virginia Tech's ACC Network crew will produce each regular season volleyball, men's & women's soccer home game not already scheduled for linear broadcasts on ACC Network Extra, the ACCN's digital platform. That means 28 total broadcasts produced from our new ACC Network control center from the South End Zone of Lane Stadium this fall. In total, Virginia Tech will produce approximately 100 ACCN broadcasts from our facility this year.
As of July 22, providers contracted to carry ACC Network beginning on Aug. 22 include: DirecTV, Fios by Verizon, Google Fiber, Hulu, Optimum by Altice and Playstation View.
The wait for ACCN is almost over. With 40 football games, 150 men's and women's basketball games and 250 Olympic sports events, ACCN will be your new home for all things ACC. Get closer to 15 championship-winning programs with inside access, studio programming and ESPN Films documentaries. ACCN is coming to TV, computer and mobile screens nationwide to let fans know – WE DO THIS!