Fubo Won’t Carry TNT’s College Football Playoff Games, So What’s the Best Streamer to Watch Them All?
Earlier this week, TNT secured the rights to stream multiple CFP games each season starting this year.
The College Football Playoff is coming to TNT. Earlier this week, the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable channel secured the rights to broadcast two CFP games per season until 2026, at which point it will add two more to the lineup. It can be hard to keep track of a sport’s various broadcasting partners, particularly in an age where leagues know they can make more money by splitting their rights among as many providers as possible. But The Streamable’s experts are here to point you toward which live TV streaming services will offer both TNT and ESPN, the other broadcast partner for CFP games.
Key Details:
- The CFP will expand to 12 teams in 2024, creating extra inventory of games.
- ESPN is allowed to sub-license games as part of its CFP deal, and it may partner with other channels.
- DIRECTV STREAM and Hulu + Live TV are the best streamers for watching CFP games this season, thanks to their free trials.
TNT will begin its tenure as a CFP broadcast partner by offering two first-round games starting this season. Beginning in 2026 — when the CFP is likely to expand again to 14 teams — TNT is set to add two quarterfinal games to its lineup.
All other CFP games will air on the ESPN family of networks, which holds the overall rights to the CFP until 2032. The channel is allowed to sub-license its inventory to other outlets, and choosing TNT as a partner means that every CFP game will still appear on Venu Sports, which will offer all live sporting events on channels owned by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The driving force behind ESPN’s decision to sub-license this particular set of games to TNT is likely the 2024 NFL schedule. The NFL opted to schedule games in direct competition with some CFP contests this season, and since ESPN is a partner of both leagues, it likely made these games available to TNT in order to avoid cannibalizing its own audience.
Where Can You Stream ESPN and TNT?
There are six major live TV streaming services available: DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Philo, and Fubo. All of them offer ESPN and TNT except for Fubo and Philo; Philo doesn’t offer any live sports or local broadcast channels in order to keep its price low, and Fubo does not carry the Turner Networks and is unlikely to start before the end of the college football season considering its legal battle against WBD, Disney, and Fox and their joint venture Venu Sports.
The Streamable will walk you through the pros and cons of each service so that when the College Football Playoffs arrive this December, you’ll have access to all the coverage you need to stream every playoff game on ESPN and TNT.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $94.99 | $76.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Top Choice for Streaming CFP Games: Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is The Streamable’s No. 1 pick for streaming CFP games in 2024 on ESPN and TNT. The service carries both channels, as well as college sports networks like ACC Network, Big Ten Network, and SEC Network in its base plan. Viewers who subscribe starting at $76.99 will also see the Disney Bundle thrown into their service at no extra cost, so they can watch all of ESPN’s CFB coverage on the broadcast and cable channels as well as the streaming exclusives on ESPN+. Viewers can try Hulu + Live TV’s three-day free trial now, so they’ll know far in advance of the college football season how to use its interface.
Runner-Up: DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is also an excellent choice to stream CFP games on ESPN and TNT with every plan. It starts at $79.99 per month, but new customers get a five-day free trial. Viewers will have to upgrade to the CHOICE package $108.99 per month) to watch college sports channels like Big Ten Network, but this tier will also give you access to regional sports networks, the NFL Network, and more. DIRECTV STREAM also carries all of your local networks, so any college football contests on broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC will also be available.
Cheapest Option: Sling TV
Sling TV will require you to snag its Sports Extra add-on pack to watch college sports channels, but you can get ESPN and TNT in its base “Orange” package at the regular price of just $40 per month to stream every CFP game — any games appearing on ABC will be simulcast on ESPN3, which Sling Orange also carries. The streamer frequently offers big discounts as well, such as its current offer of $25 off one month of streaming for new customers.
Last Option: YouTube TV
YouTube TV’s base plan starts at $72.99, and it carries ESPN and TNT in all markets. YouTube TV does offer new customer discounts sometimes, but it doesn’t come as cheaply as Sling TV, nor does it offer all new customers the same free trial like Hulu + Live TV and DIRECTV STREAM do. It’s a good option for streaming the CFP in 2024, we just think there are better choices available.
What About Venu Sports?
Venu Sports is the name of the joint venture sports streamer under construction by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. It will offer all live sports from cable channels owned by these three companies, and since ESPN and TNT are both partner channels on the service, Venu will offer all CFP games on its platform in 2024. The streamer is due to launch this fall unless a legal challenge by Fubo or a Department of Justice review for antitrust violations bears fruit.
However, it will not carry any of the college football action on CBS, Fox, FS1, or NBC. So, while it should be cheaper than the more expensive live TV streamers, if you are only concerned with the College Football Playoff, Venu will be a solid option.
Venu Sports
Venu Sports is the upcoming live TV streaming service offering sports that air on FOX, ESPN, ABC, TNT, and more. Users will be able to watch NFL, NBA, ML, and NCAA games. Subscribers can bundle the product with Disney+, Hulu, or Max.