What Sports Bars Need to Know about the ACC Network

What to Know About the ACC Network

Ladies, gentlemen and other esteemed guests, your long wait is over. The ACC launched their new network on August 22^nd.

If you’ve been in the sports-themed restaurant world for a while, then you’ve seen this dance before. It’s a new channel on DIRECTV (ACCNX – 612) that will carry extra content that doesn’t appear on the nationally distributed networks. It’s a collaboration with ESPN and includes content on the streaming system ESPN+. You’ll need to contact your dealer to determine the price for your location.

Here are the Details.

Currently ACC Net is only being carried by Spectrum, Google FiberTV and DIRECTV. The programming is also streaming on YoutubeTV, Hulu, Charter/Spectrum TV, DIRECTV & Playstation Vue. It’s also included in content available via an ESPN+ subscription.

Currently, ESPN told us that they have no plan to sell ESPN+ commercial, but the overflow content will exclusively be there for streaming. As always, we take no position on how you should proceed here. We encourage you to be cautious accessing streaming content without the commercial rights. However, there is no oversight at this point and we understand the impulse. Your call.

Finding the ACC Net on Your STVG

As with all programming, the ACC Network will be included in all the appropriate lineups. If your programming provider carries ACCNX, it will be listed on your SportsTV Guide. The content that doesn’t make the inline broadcast schedule will be Internet-only. You can see the listings for those events on the Streaming Events tab on your dashboard.

When you launch your Guide, look for the tabs listed below the date of the guide showing. You can choose from My Events (your customized listings), All Events, and Streaming Events. Click and read the Guide as you would the lineup page. We include a link to the streaming service, but you’ll likely navigate from a different device. We maintain a comprehensive list of streaming events weekly that is updated on the Friday prior to the upcoming week.

Is ACC Net Worth it for Sports Bars?

If you’re struggling with whether to make the plunge, here we will offer some advice. The ACC is a content machine. With football, they have a recent dynasty out of Clemson and the rest of the conference rising. Basketball is the gold standard in NCAA competition. But it doesn’t end there. They also boast great women’s sports along with leadership in NCAA sports like lacrosse, baseball, and softball. It’s a good value and, without it, you’ll likely be seeing folks visiting your competitor that does.

But, just like the PAC12 for operators on the east coast, you might believe you can live without it. The ACC has a bigger national presence than the PAC12, but might not be for right for your location. Yes, that’s a bit of a waffle, but we just want to account for all sides of the choice. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Have a great NCAA Football campaign and we’ll talk again come Bowl/Playoff Season.

About the Author: Andrew Jaffee

Andrew is an accomplished and respected restaurant industry professional with more than 26 years of experience focusing on many aspects of small business management, ranging from human resources to marketing, operations and accounting. Prior to the SportsTV Guide, Andrew managed and owned a variety of concepts from quick service to fine dining, and spent the first 20 years of his career as a restaurant operator.