ACC commissioner Jim Phillips addresses future of ESPN media deal, 2025 option

As conference realignment churns and a handful of its own schools are looking to leave, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips expressed confidence at conference meetings on Wednesday that the league will keep its media deal with ESPN for the maximum possible duration, into 2036.

This is despite there being a reported option for ESPN to pick up by February 2025 to continue holding the media rights for the ACC into 2036. When asked about it on Wednesday, Phillips said the relationship between the ACC and ESPN is strong — the league and network co-operate the ACC Network — and he expects it to continue to 2036.

He described the provision for February 2025 as a “look in” for ESPN.

“The partnership’s not going away or being affected in a negative way at all,” Phillips said, according to ESPN’s David Hale. “It’s a look in and we’re handling some of what that states.”

While Phillips characterized the provision as a look in — basically a chance for ESPN to renegotiate or alter the deal after a probationary period holding the media rights — a lawsuit by Florida State aimed largely at helping the Seminoles exit the conference holds that the contract function for ESPN to use in February 2025 as an option, meaning they’d basically be choosing between continuing to carry the rights or dump the ACC.

Any decision made by ESPN or the ACC around this contract provision for ESPN won’t come into effect until after the 2027 season.

Phillips discussed the possibility other schools are trying to leave the league

One recent bit of concern has come from North Carolina. There, the North Carolina Board of Trustees reportedly having a meeting behind closed doors this week. There, they will discuss athletics director Bubba Cunningham and financial issues within the athletic department. One major concern seems to be about the lack of revenue that North Carolina is earning from the ACC, and if leaving the conference could help the athletic department.

Now, while at the conference’s spring meetings, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has shared what he knows about that push being made by the North Carolina Board of Trustees.

“Those are campus discussions and politics,” Phillips said. “I don’t know what’s true & what’s not”

This all comes while the ACC and Phillips are currently dealing with lawsuits from Florida State and Clemson. Those both relate to the Grant of Rights agreement in the ACC media deal and stem from concerns about the financial growth and perception of the conference. In return, the ACC is suing both of those schools.

Now, the ACC is dealing with added concerns from North Carolina that could create an existential crisis for the conference, as more realignment looms.

The comments from UNC Trustee Dave Boliek emphasized these concerns, in particular, compared to other conferences financially.

“Carolina’s ability to maintain excellence at a high level is going to require really prudent budgeting and revenue models and potential cost cutting,” Boliek said. “A lot of it is due to the revenue or lack thereof of revenue that we’re not receiving from the ACC deal.”

He even went on to say that he’s advocating for North Carolina to leave the ACC and look for a conference that has larger payouts.

“I am advocating for that,” he told WRAL. “That’s what we need to do. We need to do everything we can to get there. Or the alternative is the ACC is going to have to reconstruct itself. I think all options are on the table.”