ESPN exercises ACC TV option through 2036, on revised terms

ESPN has officially exercised its television option with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), continuing to be the conference’s television partner through 2036. The announcement cements a long-term relationship but will only further legal and political tensions within the conference.

The extension has significant implications for Florida State and Clemson’s ongoing legal battle to leave the conference. One of the cornerstone arguments for both schools has been that the ACC’s Grant of Rights agreement would be void if ESPN did not pick up the extension. With ESPN opting to extend the deal, that argument has effectively been neutralized.

ESPN’s decision to exercise its option to extend the…