AMELIA ISLAND, Florida — The presence of NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick at North Carolina caught the immediate attention of one very important ACC constituency: its television partners.

“They ran to us before we could even run to them, our partners at Disney,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday at the conclusion of the ACC spring meetings in Amelia Island, Florida.

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ESPN owns all of the broadcast rights for ACC-controlled games, including all home games and conference games. Belichick’s first game at UNC against TCU was moved to 8 p.m. on Labor Day night, a marquee spot for ESPN.

Belichick, 73, won six Super Bowl titles as the head coach of the New England Patriots. He didn’t coach in 2024. Despite having no experience in college football, Belichick was hired by North Carolina in December with a five-year, $50-million contract, a big gamble by the Tar Heels to become a bigger brand in football.

It’s must-see TV. And comes at a time when the television viewership is a critical measuring stick and part of the ACC’s new revenue distribution model.

Two other UNC games have been already moved to Friday nights for national television purposes. After the first three weeks, networks typically don’t select games until a few weeks before games are played.

“It’s a great thing for the league,” Phillips said. “It's a great thing for North Carolina, and we’re all following just the massive coverage that Coach Belichick draws.”

In the six months since he was hired, Belichick’s relationship with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson – and her influence over his personal brand, including appearances in commercials, social media posts, her interruption of a CBS interview and, most recently, her status at the UNC football facility – has pushed the story beyond the sports pages.

“I don’t know that he’s got a private moment to himself, from what I can see and read and what I follow, but I think it’s good,” Phillips said of the impact on the league. “ I think it’s good for our league. It’s good for, certainly, North Carolina. It’s good for college football people, draws more interest, and it was enjoyable to have him here this week with our joint group.”

Belichick, in an interview with WRAL, said he has not focused on the attention his hiring has generated.

“I’m glad people are excited,” Belichick said, “but really just focused more on the product and delivering.”

Belichick attended meetings Monday and Tuesday, sitting with the league’s other football coaches, as well as athletic directors, men’s basketball coaches, women’s basketball coaches and other school and conference personnel.

Football coaches discussed the impacts of the ongoing House settlement, transfer portal windows, the playoff system, scheduling, officiating and other topics. Belichick was an active participant.

“When he speaks, people listen,” Phillips said.

Belichick’s professional experience, along with that of other former NFL coaches like Boston College’s Bill O’Brien and Stanford’s Frank Reich, is particularly useful at a time when the college model is fast changing into a more professional one with revenue sharing and players getting paid.

“He does have a lot of stories to talk about and perspective,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “All three NFL guys, there’s a lot of intel there when you get into some of these topics that crossover because we are adopting some of the NFL things.”

Said Duke athletics director Nina King: “That’s really beneficial to be able to draw on all of our experiences wherever we may have come from to have those conversations in the league.”

Belichick spent time around the University of Washington program last season when his son, Steve, was the team’s defensive coordinator. Steve Belichick is now North Carolina’s defensive coordinator.

“It's been great to talk about some of the ACC college football things that all of us are involved in,” Belichick told WRAL on Tuesday. “It's certainly a new model here for college football: NIL, rev share and other things that are being discussed with the house settlement that are sort of in the air but they're sort of coming together. So just everybody's trying to figure it out and get ready for the season.”