ESPN will sublicence College Football Playoff semifinals to TNT
ESPN will sublicence College Football Playoff semifinals to TNT
This move will be an extension of the deal that the two broadcasters signed last year ahead of the first 12-team CFP.
Apparently, Disney and ESPN don’t just view sports rights as a way to get fans to tune into their networks, but also as a way to get other networks to pay them. Yahoo! Sports' Ross Dellenger is reporting that ESPN is set to exercise an option in its College Football Playoff sublicense deal to send additional games to TNT.
Key Details:
- Semis on TNT: Starting in the 2026 season, ESPN will sublicense College Football Playoff games to TNT through 2028.
- Deal extension: This move is an extension of a deal that the two sides signed last year.
- Uncertainty isn’t good for business: With college football debating changing its postseason again, it appears ESPN would rather lease some of its rights than deal with market upheaval.
The original agreement between the companies stipulated for TNT Sports to get two first-round CFP games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and then to add two quarterfinal games beginning in 2026. However, this update to the contract will now see that continue through 2028, with TNT adding semifinal games following the 2026, 2027, and 2028 seasons.
The timing of this announcement is interesting on multiple fronts. From the college football perspective, the game’s power brokers are currently debating how to modify the playoff structure and are considering expanding the field, guaranteeing conferences additional automatic bids, and more. However, at the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that the NFL is no longer avoiding scheduling conflicts with the CFP as college football is increasingly encroaching on the pros’ playoff.
On the business side of the equation, on Monday, TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, announced that it would be splitting up its assets into two separate, publicly traded entities. One half of the company will keep Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, HBO and Max, D.C. Studios, and the company’s film and television libraries. The other will operate the company’s non-premium cable channels, including Cartoon Network, CNN, Discovery, HGTV, TBS, TNT, and truTV, as well as CNN's forthcoming streaming service, TNT Sports in the United States, Bleacher Report, and discovery+, as well as its over-the-air channels in Europe.
WBD’s separation raises a number of questions about how and where these future CFP games will be available. While they will be available on cable via TNT, it is currently unclear if the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On will continue to be integrated into the soon-to-be re-renamed streaming service HBO Max.
In the postseason following the 2024 regular season, the College Football Playoff expanded from four to 12 teams, and the additional contests proved to be a ratings boon for ESPN and TNT. However, because of the added teams, the national championship game occurred on Jan. 20, 2025, 12 days after the 2024 installment. Despite the title game featuring two of the most beloved programs in the game — the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 to win the national title — the ratings slipped 12% from the previous year. Many onlookers attribute this to being so far removed from the traditional college football postseason that, in years past, would wrap up on or around New Year’s Day.
This move put the national championship game more than a week after the start of the NFL playoffs, seemingly undermining the excitement that is normally felt for the CFP. Until college football administrators see fit to adjust the sport’s schedule to keep it away from the NFL postseason, it could continue to be difficult to score the ratings that rights holders were banking on. So, it seems that if ESPN can’t get the viewership (and advertising dollars) from its investment, it is going to find another way to generate revenue from its College Football Playoff rights.
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