Get your 🍿 ready!ESPN has reached a theatrical distribution agreement with Theater Sports Network to make regular season @ACCFootball & @CFBPlayoff games available in movie theaters during the '23-'24 college football seasonMore: https://t.co/IFXJSBOtlv pic.twitter.com/VXhysU3HS2— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) August 29, 2023
ESPN has entered into a theatrical distribution agreement with Theater Sports Network to televise Atlantic Coast Conference college football games at movie theaters. Additionally, the agreement covers the New Year's Six Bowl games including the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, the Capital One Orange Bowl, the CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game, and the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T. In all, the agreement includes approximately 75 games during the 2023-24 college football season.
ACC games that air on ESPN platforms are available for Theater Sports Network distribution in the away team markets – or in both home and away markets for neutral site games. The cost of attendance to watch the games will be determined by participating local theaters. For more information and a schedule of games in specific areas, fans can visit theatersportsnetwork.com.
Comments
My first thought is this sounds awful. There's gonna be like 40 different types of fans you're stuck in 1 spot and even theaters that serve alcohol couldn't keep up.
Especially if it's a bad outcome. I may need a CamelBak of booze to endure.
this feels like a real stretch. I think theaters are struggling and the ACC is also struggling. It's just two sad struggling groups getting together to continue struggling :(
Yeah this feels like another acc grasping at anything to stay relevant but no one really is interested so they settle with cal, smu, and movie theaters and call it exactly the deal they were looking for.
For those wondering, VT won't be available until Week 5
ACC Schedule
for a network that is dedicated to a single conference with 14(15?) teams, it's wild to me that they cover no more than 5 teams per week for the first 5 weeks of the season. Finally, in week 6 (so, half way through the season) they get up to 12 teams covered. But the first half of the season is pretty pathetic from a coverage standpoint.
those are just the TheaterSports games...
Can't wait to watch the Bethune-Cookman vs Miami game Must see tv indeed!
Looks like site has been updated, I see games starting Week 1 now.
Yes, but....
... I'm a dummy.
Seems at least somewhat interesting. How do you find out what theaters you can watch games in?
As long as this doesn't prevent me from watching at home, this is a cool option. Go watch with a bunch of other fans on a massive screen with concessions... not a bad option even if I only do it once in a while.
This is where I'm at. It's like a new sports bar that also has recliners
Since things like "are you fucking kidding me" "throw the fucking ball" stop the fucking arm tackling" are frown upon in theatres, I'll pass
I scream at the TV too much to go to a theater to watch.
Love it.
Watched NFL playoff games on the big screen when I was in the Vegas a few years ago and I had a blast.
Does it add revenue?
They used to show Hokie games at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. It was good time, but the Drafthouse had more of a bar scene with one large screen feel to it. Not sure how the environment would be in your typical movie theater.
I don't get it.
Drive to theater---presumably pay admission then $8 cokes and $12 beers (if said Theater has alcohol license). So you're paying Stadium prices to watch on a really big screen.
My presumption is this is mostly meant to attract cord-cutters who may not have ESPN access. This is a generalization, but the cord-cutters are younger and less likely to have Movie Theater Nostalgia than older generations. Most savvy young people also know how to easily how to find pirated streams Online (my son may have shown me how to stream the Raycom/Bally VT games last season, but of course I didn't actually do that because pirating games is really, really bad and would cause immeasurable harm to the massive media conglomerates that are destroying College Football).
I just don't see the appeal here or how this is going to be profitable.
It all depends on the vibe. If it's basically a bar with recliners, I'm into it. Beer being served, you can yell at the TV, chat with friends, etc.
But if you're expected to sit in your seat and quietly observe, uhhh fuck that
The problem is the entire layout of a theater is geared towards your second paragraph
Why? I feel most movie theaters (at least by me in Atlanta) are all updated with the recliners, wide aisles, bar right outside, etc.
Just leave the lights dimmed and let people talk. It's no different than having 10 people over to watch a game.
I think watching a game is much more of an interactive social event than watching a movie. You go with 10 people that means your group is spread out over 20+ feet shoulder to shoulder you might get a conversation with the two immediate people next to you.
I just don't see the appeal of watching the game with 10 friends in a theater + 30 people I don't know vs just having 10 people over to my house and watch the game. I can see the appeal for a group getting the entire theater.
There is a Harkins Cine-Dine concept near me in Phoenix that is supposed to be the truth- i.e. recliners and waitresses serve beer- like they do at the Ceasars sports book in vegas for example- it's supposed to be great. However it is a stones throw away from the largest church in Arizona - so if the hokies are on, my luck would have it one of the pastors is there and will report me for saying Fuuuuck that call....
If Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse does this, I'll go for it.
Could you perhaps show me where those streams are so I can avoid them. I'd hate to accidentally do harm to those conglomerates, and the best way for me to avoid them is to know exactly how its done so I never do it.....
There may or may not be a site named sportsurge(dot)net where one definitely should not go to find such things. Also multiple Reddit communties can direct you to said places.
FWI: if you do go to said places, which you definitely shoudn't, #1 YMMV (i.e. dependability can be iffy) #2 there will be lots of pop-ups and there is a definite chance of stepping into some malware
Renting one out though for just your team's fans would be an experience though
It would make for a fun local alumni group meetup
That's kind of where my mind would go. Get a bunch of VT fans in an area to all watch the game at the theater, and celebrate and commiserate together could be fun. Could be more comfortable than a bar since you know the seats are likely the modern movie theater ones and all face the screen instead of having to crane your neck around different ways or having a barstool with no back.
or a TKP meetup... I'm sure there's enough of us in NOVA that we could arrange for that.
That might be a bit weird with all of us on TKP arguing instead of in person
not even worried about that. I'm worried about how we'll get enough foam turkey legs to toss at each other when we agree with someone's outburst, rant, complaints about the Tac (insert weekly product here), etc etc
The TacTurkLeg, for when you need military grade foam turkey legs to throw at online friends irl! The TacTurkLeg can be used underwater, or on a boat, but is not valid as a kids float. Wait it's not? Those coast guard guys, don't listen to them let your kids drown holding one. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the TacTurkLeg as it saved my life when I was fight'en that Albert Kieda fellow when pushing papers outside of Camp Dawson. They can save your life too, Just watch me run over it in this Humvee. See it's just flatter! I mean the does blend guy didn't even try to blend foam replica of a turkey leg. That's TacTurkLeg, used by elite clerical units everywhere!
Weird watching the game in an enclosed space with opposing fans, potentially.
Yes. I file this on the positive /negative scale. On the rare, rare, rare chance you are in a public theatre with only other hokies fans AND colorful language- which is part and parcel to adult passionate fans- is not an "issue" with some pastor and his kids there, AND the Hokies win, etc. vs- some douche from the other team there, the hokies have 6 false starts and lose, you get chidded for saying "oh shit I thought he caught it" ... the bad FAR outweighs the good. I'd rather watch at home or in the stadium 10 times out of 10 times. Hell even at a sports bar, typically people go there TO watch games, not for the michelin rated chicken fingers, thus loud cheering, etc is expected.
Would probably be more fun than listening to the game on a car radio, or watching it on that ESPN photo of a football field, which shows what happened on the last play, which I've done on occasion when it was the only way for me to access a game.
Though usually I've only done that when I was in remote places, and not where I could find enough other fans to support a theater showing.
Interesting they make the announcement but nowhere on their site do they list theater locations.
i noticed the same. With the first slated games 3 days away you'd think they would have some info. ANY info.
#goacc
We used to play College and NFL games during the day where there was no shows at the theater at Kings Dominion. Usually a bunch of dads that gather while their kids run around. Depending on the games, they could gather a big crowd and it was fun.
Does nothing to improve the product on the field. So it seems meaningless for the ACC.
Probably just a beta test to work out any kinks on games nobody cares about before rolling it out for big important games... like from the SEC. Having the ACC as a crash test dummy does at least provide some utility to ESPN.
They've already punted on week 1. Now only showing week 2 and beyond. I actually went as far as to load the sign-up form to be notified, and it looks half-assed as hell. This launch sounds way late (should have been done weeks if not months ago) and totally uncoordinated.
The whole website looks less than professional I didn't even know anyone used office forms for an external tool.
the more i think about it, someone just had what they through was a great idea, convinced ESPN that the percentage cut would be worth a press announcement, but never actually secured on agreement with any theater to actually show any single one of the game. If they do, its probably going to be someone's laptop streaming the game from the ESPN website. Can't wait for the first time the screensaver kicks-in.
or this...
Are any of us actually surprised?