TNT Sports Makes Another New College Sports Deal, Adding Mountain West Football
TNT’s days as an NBA broadcaster could be numbered, and it’s continuing to add other live sports options as it wades through the drama.
TNT Sports is continuing to bolster its lineup amidst continuing uncertainty regarding its status as an NBA broadcaster. This week, TNT announced that it had struck a deal with the Mountain West Conference to broadcast a package of live football games starting in the 2024 season. It will mark the first time college football has been offered on TNT since 2006, and will serve as a first step toward TNT Sports offering College Football Playoff games starting this season.
Key Details:
- A total of 14 Mountain West games will be played on truTV and Max in 2024.
- The schedule includes four doubleheaders in September and October.
- TNT Sports will sublicense College Football Playoff games starting this year and also has a new deal in place with the Big East conference for a selection of basketball games.
The new broadcasting deal between the Mountain West and TNT Sports will see 14 Mountain West football games played on truTV and Max, starting Thursday, Aug. 29. The slate will feature four doubleheaders, and will offer games from some of the top teams in the conference, including San Diego State, Wyoming and Colorado State.
“TNT Sports provides the Mountain West with a third national television partner to showcase the outstanding student-athletes across the league,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “TNT Sports has always been a leader in sports broadcasting, and adding one of the top conferences in the FBS to its lineup will certainly be a benefit to MW and college football fans across the country.”
Each game will stream in Max’s Bleacher Report Sports add-on, which is still free to all subscribers. Placing games on truTV will help Warner Bros. Discovery bring more programming to the nightly bloc of sports news and content launched on the channel earlier this year.
“We are excited to partner with the Mountain West and bring these compelling college football games to truTV and Max,” said Raphael Poplock, SVP of Acquisitions, Business Development and Partnerships, TNT Sports. “With this agreement, we will further expand our live sports programming on truTV while creating additional exposure for the Mountain West and its student athletes across our TNT Sports platforms.”
What is the Schedule of Mountain West Games Coming to Max, truTV in 2024?
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Aug. 29 | 10 p.m. | Sacramento State at San José State |
| Saturday, Aug. 31 | 8 p.m. | Texas A&M Commerce at San Diego State |
| Saturday, Sept. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Idaho at Wyoming |
| 7 p.m. | Georgia Southern at Nevada | |
| Saturday, Sept. 14 | 7 p.m. | Kennesaw State at San José State |
| 10:30 p.m. | New Mexico State at Fresno State | |
| Saturday, Sept. 21 | 5 p.m. | UTEP at Colorado State |
| 8:30 p.m. | Fresno State at New Mexico | |
| Saturday, Oct. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | Nevada at San José State |
| Saturday, Oct. 12 | 3:30 p.m. | San José State at Colorado State |
| 7 p.m. | Air Force at New Mexico | |
| Saturday, Oct. 19 | 4 p.m. | New Mexico at Utah State |
| Saturday, Oct. 26 | 8 p.m. | San José State at Fresno State |
| Saturday, Nov. 2 | 4 p.m. | Wyoming at New Mexico |
What Other College Sports Deals Has TNT Sports Recently Made?
In late May, TNT Sports announced a deal with ESPN to sublicense two College Football Playoff games in 2024 and 2025. The agreement expands further in 2026 when TNT will get the rights to two CFP quarterfinal games. The growth of the CFP to 12 teams has created excess inventory that ESPN has the contractual right to sell to other broadcasters, and another expansion of the CFP is widely expected to occur in 2026.
TNT also recently agreed to a deal with the Big East conference which will see more than 65 men's and women's basketball games appear on Turner channels and stream on Max per season. Big East basketball will join NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games on TNT and its sibling channels starting in 2025.
All of these deals come as the future of TNT as an NBA broadcast partner looks more and more doubtful. WBD believes it has the rights to match any deal offered by a third party for its current package of NBA games, but the NBA is reportedly ready to dispute the definition of “matching rights,” and the issue may end up in front of a judge before it’s all said and done. If WBD does lose the NBA, it has a growing selection of college sports events to offer fans, in addition to NHL and MLB games, NASCAR races, the French Open tennis tournament beginning in 2025, and more.
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