Part III: Member schools’ relationships

With any conference network, a challenge can be working with the particular member schools. That’s something Michiaels has specifically added to his plate recently, but he said he’s enjoyed that role.

“When I moved into my current position, it was strictly to oversee the business operations pieces of the network. And then in the past year, I’ve sort of taken on the added responsibility of overseeing the entire ACC relationship. It’s really my job to find the best ways to create exposure opportunities for the ACC, whether that be windows for games, whether that be working with our production teams to elevate the profile of our talent.

He said the school relationship has been very positive.

“It’s been amazing. We meet with the athletic directors and the administrators at the schools in person three times a year. We’ve had a lot of great discussions about content, ideas that the schools bring forward, even corporate partner leads that they bring to us. It is truly a hand-in-hand effort.

“And I think that it’s clear to see with the other conference networks that it’s a great exposure opportunity, it’s a great brand-building platform. And the schools of the ACC, including the three new schools, really value that and really work hand-in-hand with us to to do everything we can to build this network to be as as powerful of a platform as possible.”

As for those new schools of Cal, Stanford, and SMU, Michiaels said they bring huge business-side opportunities for ACCN.

“There are different distribution levels that we have; when we’re in-market, we attract a different rate. And [expansion] certainly helps expand the the pool of in-market subscribers. So it is certainly advantageous to be in two of the biggest states in the country, without question.”

And Michiaels said there’s a lot to like about the network-school relationship even amidst difficulties, such as the Florida State and Clemson litigation against the conference.

“It’s a fun position, and I say fun because I certainly understand all the things that are happening around the conference today. but it’s an amazing time to be working with this league, and how important the brand is and and the power of ESPN to partner with the ACC to really elevate their status. It’s a fun and challenging time, but it’s very exciting.”

And he said those lawsuits haven’t damaged the day-to-day relationships with those schools.

“I get that question a lot, and it’s an easy one to answer, because the lawsuits really have nothing to do with what we do on a day-to-day basis. We have great working relationships with both schools.

“I’ve met with both of their athletic directors directly since since those were filed, and it really has nothing to do with what we do on a day-to-day basis. It’s easy to compartmentalize that. And we’re in the business of creating the best exposure for the ACC as possible. And we just let those things happen outside of what we’re concentrating on every day.”

Read on for more on conference expansion.