No ACC Network is the make or break for ACC schools. And I am serious about that. The B1G is going to get paid a good $45 million to $50 million per school per year off of their new contract and their Tier1 rights, which is what is up for bid, could be shared among FOX and other networks unless FOX puts up a bid so large in dollars that they take the rights and leave ESPN behind.
FOX already owns their conference title game and that is up for bid. Therefore, FOX will bid heavily to retain the conference title game and get more B1G games. FOX also owns 49% of the B1G Network.
If FOX can pull away the B1G from ESPN, then FOX becomes the media company that owns the most CFB rights and not ESPN. ESPN doesn't own all of the SEC rights either. THey do own the rights to the ACC. So, to make the ACC Network, they will need to buy what they already own to broadcast what they already own.
The devil in the details is that the SEC Network is really just another ESPN channel. That is all it is.
So, when the B1G schools are clearing $50 million a year, which IS realistic since that is what Delany said the contract is likely to go for, the ACC schools will remain at their usual $22 millionish a year level. So the B1G schools end up double the revenue than the ACC schools.
No ACC Network means the ACC schools will run away fast to where they can get more money to fund their stadium upgrades for various sports, pay student athletes, etc, etc.
So it is up to ESPN to spend money on stuff they already own and broadcast to keep the rights they already own. Thus, they spend more on what they already own just to keep what they already own.