It was reported in the middle of this past May that the ACC and ESPN had reached an agreement on a 12-year, $1.86 billion deal that would combine the football and basketball packages together for the first time.
Today, the two sides officially and publicly consummated the new marriage.
According to a joint press release issued by the conference and the network, the new deal is indeed for 12 years and will begin in 2011-2012. A specific dollar amount was not given, but is believed to be in the range of what was first reported.
As far as the football side of the broadcast agreement is concerned, regular season games will air on Saturday afternoon and nights, primetime Thursdays and Labor Day Monday. Additionally, ESPN/ABC will televise the ACC title game.
“We are excited to be continuing our partnership with ESPN and Raycom Sports,” commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “This agreement allows our schools to reach significantly new financial heights while also showcasing more ACC content and coverage than ever before across traditional and new media platforms.”