John Wildhack

Syracuse University AD John Wildhack, a former ESPN executive, says the ACC Network will launch as planned in 2019 despite recent cost-cutting measures at ESPN.

(Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard)

Syracuse, N.Y. --Does the ACC Network still have a future on television?

That is one question that comes out of the recent announcements of cost-cutting at ESPN.

The network laid off around 100 employees last week, many of whom were widely-respected and recognized names for ESPN viewers.

Among the most notable names let go by ESPN are college basketball reporters Andy Katz and Dana O'Neil, NFL reporter Ed Werder and Major League Baseball reporter Jayson Stark, an alum of Syracuse's SI Newhouse School of Public Communications.

The network also laid off approximately 300 employees less than two years ago.

The billions of dollars in rights fees ESPN has paid for live sports programming, including the NFL, NBA and college sports, combined with a declining subscriber base were seen as a culprit for the cutbacks.

As a member of a "Power 5" conference, Syracuse University nets over an estimated $20 million per year in the ACC's deal with ESPN.

Announced in a new television package for the ACC in 2016 was a dedicated cable channel for the conference, set to launch in 2019.

What does the future of that channel look like now that ESPN is watching budgets closer than ever?

Will the ACC Network launch as scheduled in 2019?

During an interview on ESPN Radio Syracuse last week, Syracuse University athletic director John Wildhack said the network is on track to launch as planned.

"It won't impact our deal with the ACC," Wildhack said of ESPN's recent cuts. "Our deal runs through 2036. The ACC Network will launch as scheduled in 2019. I think ESPN will put all their muscle and support toward making sure the launch is a success because they are a partner and they have a vested interest in making sure the ACC Network is a financial success."

Wildhack has strong insight into the subject.

He spent 36 years at ESPN before coming to Syracuse, rising to a position as ESPN's Executive Vice President for Production and Programming when he left the company last July to come to SU. Wildhack led ESPN's rights negotiating from 2007 to 2012.

Another expert disagrees with Wildhack on the ACC Network's future as a linear channel.

Jim Miller is the author of "Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN," a book that chronicled the rise of ESPN.

Miller still observes ESPN closely via his Twitter feed and various media appearances.

Miller has broke several stories or been accurate in predictions about big name talent coming and going from ESPN in the past couple years and has warned about the recent round of layoffs at the network for months.

During an appearance on The "Sports Illustrated Media Podcast" with Richard Deitsch, Miller said doesn't think ESPN can commit to the ACC Network as planned in 2019.

"I wouldn't count on it," Miller said. "I think that is part of the recalculation they are doing looking forward, in particular since that will be on the eve of these big rights deals we have been talking about. And they are going to need to save money."

ESPN has reportedly committed $1.9 billion annually in rights to broadcast the NFL through 2021 and $1.4 billion annually for the NBA through 2024-25.

"I think the next two years of ESPN are going to be, probably, two of the most critical years in its history," Miller said. "Because the next two years are going to form what the network is going to look like for the next 10."

That two-year window noted by Miller matches the timeline of the ACC Network's scheduled launch in 2019.

I'd give upper hand here to Wildhack; he knows more on this. My point simply: nothing certain w @espn future right now other than @nfl. https://t.co/UkRnBaJidA — jamesmiller (@JimMiller) May 2, 2017

Can the ACC Network be added to a stable of channels that includes ESPNU, SEC Network and LongHorn Network and survive?

Or will it remain as an online-only entity? ACC Network Extra launched in 2016. The streaming service showed over 600 live games in its first year and plans to expand to more than 900 games by 2019.

"We know, cumulatively, ACC football and basketball regularly generates more viewers for ESPN than any other conference," ACC commissioner John Swofford said last year when announcing the launch of the ACC Network.

"The media business is in a period of disruption and transition," Wildhack said last week on ESPN Syracuse. "Those who don't face that and don't take steps to not only ensure, but enhance, their future, they're making a mistake."

ESPN is undergoing disruption and transition like never before in its history. Experts say there is more to come.

Among the questions that will come from that fluid situation is if the ACC Network's future on television, providing another revenue source for the league and Syracuse University, will become another victim of that disruption.

Contact Brent Axe: Email | Twitter

Listen to "On the Block with Brent Axe" weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on ESPN Radio Syracuse