ESPN’s ACC Network will launch this August. Here’s what you can expect.
CHARLOTTE
When the ACC Network launches in August, it will feature a daily show with Wes Durham and Mark Packer.
The weekday talk show, which will be broadcast live from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., is expected to anchor the new ESPN-backed network’s coverage of the ACC. It was one of several inaugural programming announcements made Friday, including the slate of conference games to kick off the basketball season in November and new documentaries.
Packer and Durham will talk about all things ACC on their show and it will broadcast live from a new studio constructed in Packer’s Charlotte basement. They’ll be the morning version of Paul Finebaum’s afternoon show on the SEC Network.
“We’ve had a year to listen to them on the Sirius ACC channel and the chemistry that the two of them have is extraordinary and very natural,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said. “Sometimes that just happens and those two guys have that. ... People that are long-time ACC fans and appreciate the tradition and history of the league, they’ll make them very comfortable.”
Along with his show with Packer, Durham will also do play-by-play for basketball and football games for the ACC Network and relocate to Charlotte from the Atlanta area.
Since 2011, Durham has done ACC play-by-play for Raycom Sports, the longtime ACC broadcast syndicator stepping aside to make way for the new network. Durham is also the radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons. Whether he continues in the that role remains uncertain.
“Most of my professional and personal life has been spent around this league,” Durham said. “With the exception of seven seasons total in my professional life total, I’ve covered the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
Durham is the son of Woody Durham, the former voice of the Tar Heels. Packer is the son of Billy Packer, the former ACC and national basketball analyst for Raycom and CBS.
“Between Woody Durham and Billy Packer, we grew up as ACC as you can get,” Mark Packer said.
Packer and Durham’s show wasn’t the only thing the network revealed. The network also announced four season-opening games for the 2019-20 season, which will be broadcast exclusively on the ACC Network. Those games include:
The documentary on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is about his 1982 recruiting class, and how it changed the direction of Duke’s basketball program. The 1982 Duke class featured Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins, David Henderson and Mark Alarie.
The ACC Network will launch on Aug. 22. It is expected to bring at least $10 million in revenue for each ACC school.
CHARLOTTE
When the ACC Network launches in August, it will feature a daily show with Wes Durham and Mark Packer.
The weekday talk show, which will be broadcast live from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., is expected to anchor the new ESPN-backed network’s coverage of the ACC. It was one of several inaugural programming announcements made Friday, including the slate of conference games to kick off the basketball season in November and new documentaries.
Packer and Durham will talk about all things ACC on their show and it will broadcast live from a new studio constructed in Packer’s Charlotte basement. They’ll be the morning version of Paul Finebaum’s afternoon show on the SEC Network.
“We’ve had a year to listen to them on the Sirius ACC channel and the chemistry that the two of them have is extraordinary and very natural,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said. “Sometimes that just happens and those two guys have that. ... People that are long-time ACC fans and appreciate the tradition and history of the league, they’ll make them very comfortable.”
Along with his show with Packer, Durham will also do play-by-play for basketball and football games for the ACC Network and relocate to Charlotte from the Atlanta area.
Since 2011, Durham has done ACC play-by-play for Raycom Sports, the longtime ACC broadcast syndicator stepping aside to make way for the new network. Durham is also the radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons. Whether he continues in the that role remains uncertain.
“Most of my professional and personal life has been spent around this league,” Durham said. “With the exception of seven seasons total in my professional life total, I’ve covered the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
Durham is the son of Woody Durham, the former voice of the Tar Heels. Packer is the son of Billy Packer, the former ACC and national basketball analyst for Raycom and CBS.
“Between Woody Durham and Billy Packer, we grew up as ACC as you can get,” Mark Packer said.
Packer and Durham’s show wasn’t the only thing the network revealed. The network also announced four season-opening games for the 2019-20 season, which will be broadcast exclusively on the ACC Network. Those games include:
- Louisville at Miami on Nov. 5
- Georgia Tech at N.C. State on Nov. 5
- Notre Dame at North Carolina on Nov. 6
- Virginia at Syracuse on Nov. 6
The documentary on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is about his 1982 recruiting class, and how it changed the direction of Duke’s basketball program. The 1982 Duke class featured Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins, David Henderson and Mark Alarie.
The ACC Network will launch on Aug. 22. It is expected to bring at least $10 million in revenue for each ACC school.
