You just sat down to watch your favorite ACC football or basketball team, and can’t find the game, it appears to be blacked out. What in the BLEEP is going on?
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Breaking: Bally Sports RSNs lose ACC on RSN contract
As part of the fallout from the Diamond Sports bankruptcy filing, Bally and Raycom (the rights holder to the ACC on RSN games) have agreed that Bally Sports RSNs will no longer distribute the games.
Raycom still owns the rights to its sale of games, it just remains to be seen where they will be distributed (what channels the games will air on).
Take a deep breath friend, I am here to help you get through this.
Although an ESPN+ or ACC Network broadcast could be the culprit, the most likely reason you can’t watch your favorite ACC team is because you live inside the viewing territory of a regional sports network (RSN) that has the TV rights to the game, and you haven’t subscribed to the package that carries the relevant channel.
In other words, the “in-market vs. out-of-market” viewing rules that confound NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL fans have arrived in your living room and apply to your game.
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Watch smaller college football games, as well as some ACC games. | $9.99 / month | Sign Up for ESPN+ |
The rights to your game are owned by a regional network
You see, the TV rights to any sports league, including the ACC, are very similar to an auction, with media companies as the buyers.
ESPN bid on the best games, and won the rights to carry ACC sports nationwide through 2036. This means the UNC football fan who now lives in Denver can rest easy knowing they can watch Tar heels games on Saturdays, even from the Mountain West.
However, not so fast my friend, because ESPN doesn’t necessarily want all of the stuff they bought at auction. That old chess set and Grandma’s knitting kit, they resold those to a different media company, Bally Sports. Formerly branded FOX Sports, Bally Sports is a portfolio of regional sports networks that carry NBA, MLB, and NHL games for local fans in select markets.
For example, Bally Sports Southeast carries in-market Braves games for fans in, and around, Atlanta. But that’s not all, the same regional sports networks that air that Braves vs. Mets series in the middle of the week in July did something sneaky.
While no one was looking, they bought up the old chess set and Grandma’s knitting kit that ESPN didn’t want, only they called it “UNC vs. Towson State.” As part of a program known as the “ACC on RSNs,” regional sports networks license the rights to air lower tier ACC matchups, and have the exclusive broadcast rights inside their viewing territory for the games they license. The MAC TV contract works in much the same way, with ESPN licensing some of its TV rights to CBS Sports Network.
Most ACC football and basketball games are national broadcasts, but not all of them…
If your game is blacked out, it’s likely because your living room is smack dab in the middle of an RSNs viewing territory, which means if you want to watch Clemson, or Syracuse, or Virginia, you need access to the local regional sports network that owns the rights to Grandma’s knitting set.
Here is how to watch the game, and get it on fast.
Time needed: 15 minutes
How to live stream ACC on RSN matchups
- Make sure the game isn’t on ESPN+
It could be that the local RSN isn’t the issue, your game might be on ESPN+. The ESPN and ACC exclusive TV contract means some smaller ACC games will air on ESPN+. Hulu + Live TV offers an ESPN+ bundle, or you can sign up for ESPN+ as a standalone service, which is cheaper.
- Make sure the game isn’t on ACC Network
Not every cable or streaming service carries ACC Network, however, the channel live streams both ACC football and basketball action.
- Make sure you are in-market for the game
This is likely your problem, you are in-market and lack access to the RSN with TV rights in your area. If you are out-of-market, use your cable or live TV streaming credentials to watch the game on the ESPN app. If you are in-market, read on.
- Find the RSN airing your game
We list the live TV streaming services that carry every major RSN, here. Our team viewing guides for ACC teams also list the exact RSNs that are carrying each game, which takes out the guesswork. To see the ACC football guides, click here, then select your team. The ACC also maintains a schedule of its RSN games, which you can view here.
- Add either Bally Sports Plus or DIRECTV STREAM “Choice”
Forget cable, if you are in-market, you can get set up with a live TV streaming service that carries your RSN in 15 minutes. Most of the RSNs in the southeast are carried by Bally Sports Plus and DIRECTV STREAM “Choice.” As between the two, DIRECTV STREAM “Choice” is a much better option because it carries all the channels you need to watch your ACC team, not just one RSN.
Relevant RSNs for ACC fans
| DIRECTV STREAM – Choice | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Orange & Blue Sports Extra | YouTube TV | |
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| $99.99 / month | $74.99 / month | $69.99 / month | $65 / month | $72.99 / month |