TNT To Sublicense College Football Playoff Game Rights From ESPN
While it appears very possible that TNT will end up losing its NBA rights starting in 2025, the Warner Bros. Discovery channel isn't done with sports.
TNT Sports just entered into a sublicensing agreement with ESPN that will put two College Football Playoff first-round games on TNT for the next five years.
Additionally, starting in 2026, when ESPN's extension with the CFP kicks in, TNT will also have rights to quarterfinals matchups.
“We’re delighted to reach this agreement with ESPN, providing TNT Sports the opportunity to showcase these College Football Playoff games on our platforms for years to come,” said Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”
Also read: ESPN Signs 6-Year, $7.8 Billion Extension for the Expanding College Football Playoff Tournament
ESPN has been the exclusive broadcast partner of the CFP since 2015, when the four-team tournament replaced the Bowl Championship Series as the sole arbiter of college football’s highest-echelon national championship.
In March, ESPN signed a six-year, $7.8 billion deal to remain the main TV partner for the expanding College Football Playoff.
Starting with the upcoming 2024-25 season, the CFP will expand from a four-team to a 12-team format, and ESPN's coverage will expand along with it, starting with the final two years of its current contract and continuing through the six-year extension.
Disney-owned ESPN will now have exclusive rights to the entire plus-sized CFP, which includes all rounds of the expanded playoff. ESPN will have exclusive rights to all four first-round games, as well as three quarterfinals and two semifinals matchups that will be added to the network's existing New Years Six bowl package, with legacy bowl games once again doubling as CFP quarterfinal and semifinal matchups.
The initial rounds will be followed by Disney’s exclusive presentation of the championship game, which will be simulcasted on ABC starting in 2027.
With ESPN's CFP plate growing from three games to 11, the new deal allows the network to sublease games, starting in the amended final two years of the contract.
Here's how the format will shape up for the next two seasons, courtesy of the NCAA:
