GREENSBORO — The ACC Network’s debut on Thursday at 7 p.m. marked the beginning of a new era for die-hard Atlantic Coast Conference fans who now will have access to a network dedicated solely to the league’s 15-member institutions and all 27 NCAA-sanctioned sports.

But there are some local stipulations. As of the ACC Network’s debut, only DirecTV and Spectrum TV customers in Robeson County were able to access the channel via their televisions. The network, co-owned and produced by ESPN, also is available on Internet streaming services Hulu, YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue.

For DirecTV customers, the ACC Network is on channel No. 612, and channel No. 388 on Spectrum.

The network is expected to air more than 1,300 live events per year between the linear channel and the digital channel, ACC Network Xtra, that will stream about 600 live sporting events. For ACC football and basketball fans, that number includes 40 football games and more than 150 men’s and women’s basketball games.

“As we thought about our media future, it was important to us to take advantage of emerging distribution technology,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said at the ACC football media day in July. “ESPN’s leadership in this space can benefit all of our sponsored sports.”

On top of live coverage of sporting events, the ACC Network also will have a daily morning show called Packer and Durham, hosted by Mark Packer and Wes Durham live from its studio home in Packer’s basement in Charlotte. The network will have all-access documentaries on the UNC men’s basketball and the Notre Dame women’s basketball programs. Short documentaries on the Duke basketball 1982 recruiting class and the 2018 Virginia basketball national champions also will be shown during the network’s debut weekend.

The addition of an over-the-air cable network by the ACC follows suit with the Southeastern, Big 10 and Pac 12 conferences.

By Jonathan Bym

Sports editor

Jonathan Bym can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jonathan_Bym.