ESPN and the ACC have officially announced a new deal and a new network. In other news, the NBA has moved its All-Star Game, and NBC will carry three of the NHL’s four outdoor games next season.
ESPN/ACC Deal New Official
- ESPN and the ACC have officially announced a 20-year partnership that will extend their media rights deal through 2036 and launch a new ACC Network in 2019. The ACC Network will televise 450 live events per year, including 40 football and 150 basketball games. (ESPN Media Zone)
NBA Moving All-Star Game
- The NBA announced Thursday that it will move next season’s All-Star Weekend from Charlotte, NC, with no immediate word on a replacement host. Charlotte is the first city to lose an NBA All-Star Weekend since Philadelphia in 1999, when the owners’ lockout of players resulted in the event’s outright cancellation. (NBA.com)
NBC to Air Three NHL Outdoor Games, Including Centennial Classic
- NBC Sports will televise 106 NHL regular season games during the upcoming 2016-17 season, the most since it began airing games in 2005. The NBC broadcast network will air 14 games, including three of the year’s four outdoor games — the special Centennial Classic on New Year’s Day, the annual Winter Classic on January 2, and Flyers/Penguins in a primetime Stadium Series matchup February 25. The fourth outdoor game, Oilers/Jets in the Heritage Classic, will not be televised by NBC or NBCSN. (NBC Sports Group Press Box)
