ESPN and Theater Sports Network have collaboratively announced a groundbreaking arrangement to showcase ACC Regular Season and Playoff Games on the big screen in movie theaters. This partnership not only brings Atlantic Coast Conference college football excitement to cinemas but also encompasses the prestigious New Year’s Six Bowl games. These include high-profile matchups like the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Allstate Sugar Bowl CFP Semifinal, the Rose Bowl Game CFP Semifinal, and the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T. In total, viewers can look forward to experiencing around 75 thrilling games throughout the upcoming 2023-24 college football season as part of this agreement.
ESPN’s ACC games broadcasted on their platforms will now be accessible for distribution through Theater Sports Network. These broadcasts will be available in markets representing the away teams, and for games held at neutral sites, they will be available in both home and away markets. The pricing for attending these screenings will be determined by the local theaters participating in the initiative. To find out more details and to check the game schedule for specific areas, fans can visit theatersportsnetwork.com.
Expressing his enthusiasm, Scott Daw, President and COO of Theater Sports Network, stated, “We see movie theaters as a promising frontier for live sports, and our collaboration with ESPN in this groundbreaking agreement fills us with excitement. Bringing ACC games to football enthusiasts is our goal, and we envision theaters as venues that can ignite the same fervor as being in a stadium. These screenings will replicate the electrifying stadium experience as fans gather in theaters to witness the games on a grand scale. Looking ahead, we aspire to include games from various college football conferences and a spectrum of live sporting events.”
For the distribution of live streaming, Theater Sports Network has chosen MetaMedia as its partner. MetaMedia stands as the pioneer in global cloud-based entertainment delivery for cinemas, drive-ins, and other out-of-home venues. With connectivity to over 5000 screens across the US and Canada in major cities, MetaMedia aims to reshape and amplify the cinema experience.
Jason Brenek, CEO of MetaMedia, conveyed, “Theater Sports Network has effectively identified an untapped desire among families and fans to enjoy live sports on the vast screens of movie theaters. We are thrilled to be selected as their technology partner for distribution, and we share in their vision.”
In both 2021 and 2022, ESPN formed a partnership with Cinemark to provide fans with the opportunity to watch the College Football Playoff semifinal and National Championship games in theaters.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digest Pulse journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
