ACC revenues and payouts climbed in 2023-24. So too did legal bills amid FSU, Clemson lawsuits
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
The ACC, which includes Boston College, has also revamped its revenue-distribution plan to factor in TV viewership and reward top-draw schools. That takes effect next year as part of the settlement that ended the threats from the Clemson and FSU cases challenging the league's ability to charge massive exit fees if they tried to join another league.
Advertisement
Phillips has talked about the league's 'aggressive' efforts to generate more revenue amid a growing gap behind the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences in what many consider to be a Power Two of the conferences, though the ACC has been ahead of the smaller Big 12 in revenue and payouts in its filings to solidify itself in third.
Advertisement
For example, the Big 12 reported revenue of $493.8 million in its filing for 2023-24, down from $510.7 million the previous year. That came in its final season with Oklahoma and Texas in the fold before both schools moved to the SEC for 2024-25, along with the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the Big 12 that year.
Amid that expansion and revenue decline, the Big 12 went from distributing about $44.2 million to 10 schools in 2022-23 to $39.5 million to those same programs for 2023-24. The four new schools received reduced shares averaging around $20 million, by comparison.
The ACC's gains have notably come since the launch of the ESPN-partnered ACC Network in August 2019 has been a boost. The league reported $288.6 million in TV revenue for the 2018-19 season before the network's launch, but that figure reached $487.1 million for 2023-24 — a 68.8 percent increase.
Yet amid those gains, the league reported more than $12.3 million in legal expenses for 2023-24, a 70.2% jump from the previous year ($7.2 million) coming as FSU filed a December 2023 lawsuit and
The increased legal costs also come amid legal cases reshaping the landscape of college athletics, including
Advertisement
The ACC reported nearly $19.6 million in legal expenses through its two most recent tax filings, similar to the combined total reported for the previous six years ($20.8 million).
Still, the resolution in the FSU and Clemson cases, along with ESPN in January picking up its option to extend its base-rights ACC media deal through 2035-36, offered a measure of league stability when it came to its annual spring meetings in Florida this week.
'Chaos and the constant wondering of what's happening here or there, I just think that distracts from the business at hand,' Phillips said then. 'But I feel good about where we're at.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC 316 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program passes $34 million
UFC 316 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program passes $34 million NEWARK, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday's UFC 316 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $320,500. The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy. UFC 316 took place at Prudential Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. The full UFC 316 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included: Merab Dvalishvili: $42,000 def. Sean O'Malley: $32,000 Kayla Harrison: $32,000 def. Julianna Peña: $42,000 Joe Pyfer: $6,000 def. Kelvin Gastelum: $21,000 Mario Bautista: $11,000 def. Patchy Mix: $4,000 Kevin Holland: $21,000 def. Vicente Luque: $21,000 Waldo Cortes-Acosta: $6,000 def. Serghei Spivac: $11,000 Joshua Van: $6,000 def. Bruno Silva: $6,000 Azamat Murzakanov: $4,500 def. Brendson Ribeiro: $4,500 Wang Cong: $4,500 def. Ariane da Silva: $11,000 Andreas Gustafsson: $4,000 def. Khaos Williams: $6,000 Joo Sang Yoo: $4,000 def. Jeka Saragih: $4,500 Quillan Salkilld: $4,000 def. Yanal Ashmouz: $4,500 MarQuel Mederos: $4,000 def. Mark Choinski: $4,000 Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program's payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum's multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000. In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials. Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts: Year-to-date total: $3,223,000 2024 total: $8,280,500 2023 total: $8,188,000 2022 total: $8,351,500 2021 total: $6,167,500 Program-to-date total: $34,240,500
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Auburn basketball jumps in ESPN's preseason rankings following Tahaad Pettiford's decision
Auburn basketball jumps in ESPN's preseason rankings following Tahaad Pettiford's decision ESPN's Jeff Borzello feels that Auburn will be a strong squad with Tahaad Pettiford in its lineup. In a world without Tahaad Pettiford, the Auburn Tigers looked primed to take a major step back from the success of a Final Four season in 2024-2025. With the sophomore sharpshooter back on board after withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, Bruce Pearl's team is now talented enough to strive towards replicating last year's run. Many experts across the college basketball world agree, as the Tigers have jumped up early rankings after the news last season's fantastic freshman would "run it back" in 2025-26. One of those experts ESPN's Jeff Borzello, recently tabbed the Tigers as the No. 14 team in the country, which also happens to be fourth in the SEC. The No. 14 Tigers trail the defending champion Florida Gators (No. 2), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 9) and Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 11) among the SEC programs on the list. Alabama (No. 17) and Tennessee (No. 23) are the only other ranked teams from the conference. Three other squads on Auburn's 2025-2026 schedule rank ahead of the Tigers as well, with No. 1 ranked Purdue and last year's runner up Houston (No. 3) rounding out Borzello's trio at the top. Arizona, who the Tigers will begin a home-and-home series with this year, ranks one spot ahead of Auburn, at No. 13. Despite Auburn beating all but one of those teams (Florida) last season, Borzello explains the ranking was due to "Bruce Pearl's roster faces an overhaul" as he cited the sudden departure of Chad Baker-Mazara as a major loss. Still, Pearl's additions of Texas Tech guard Kevin Overton, UCF forward and BIG 12 leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, and Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy give Auburn proven, Power 4, big time talent. It is important to note preseason rankings, specifically ones done in June, aren't often accurate. Auburn's ranking at the No. 14 spot should say more about the Tigers ability to reload and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament again than it does indicate a step back. For reference, Bruce Pearl's squad was ranked all the way back at No. 18 in last season's preseason AP Poll. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
Newsweek
36 minutes ago
- Newsweek
How to Watch RBC Canadian Open Final Round: Live Stream PGA Tour Sunday Golf, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The PGA Tour's RBC Canadian Open is coming to a close, with the final round taking place on Sunday, as eight players all sit within two shots of each other at the top of the leaderboard. Matteo Manassero of Italy reacts on the 17th green during the third round of the RBC Canadian Open 2025 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 07, 2025 in Caledon, Ontario. Matteo Manassero of Italy reacts on the 17th green during the third round of the RBC Canadian Open 2025 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 07, 2025 in Caledon, to Watch RBC Canadian Open - Final Round Date: Sunday, June 8, 2025 Time: 7:45 AM ET (Early Rounds), 1:00 PM ET (Main Coverage) TV Channel: The Golf Channel Live Stream: FuboTV (TRY FOR FREE), ESPN+ (WATCH NOW) Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox sit tied at the top of the leaderboard, but a staggering thirteen players all sit within three strokes of them. It is really anyone to win heading into the last day. The score to beat right now is -14, but players have been shooting ridiculous scores all week, making no lead safe down the stretch. Manassero and Fox both carded scores of 64 on Saturday, and Lee Hodges and Kevin Yu, who are tied for third, both shot an impressive 63 in the third round. By the time it is all said and done on Sunday, -20 might end up being what it takes to take home the top prize. Rory McIlroy, unfortunately, failed to make the cut after shooting +9 in his first two rounds, and defending champion Robert MacIntyre also appears to be out of it, currently sitting at -4. This is a great PGA Tour event that you will not want to miss; be sure to tune in to catch all the action. The early morning coverage can be viewed on ESPN+, while the nationally broadcast coverage begins later in the day on The Golf Channel, which can be viewed with FuboTV. Live stream the RBC Canadian Open for free with Fubo: Start your subscription now! Live stream the RBC Canadian Open with ESPN+: Start your subscription now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
