It’s entirely possible that ESPN’s decision to base the ACC Network at its home base of Bristol, Conn., instead of adding it to the SEC Network’s production facility in Charlotte won’t have any impact on the presentation, personality or quality of the nascent network. Technology has advanced to the point where just about anything in television, other than the actual cameras, can be placed just about anywhere without the viewer noticing.
What it will do, beyond a doubt, is raise legitimate questions about whether the ACC Network – scheduled to launch in 2019, at a time of increased financial pressures and cost-cutting at ESPN – will end up being SEC Lite instead of a comparable operation.