TNT Wins Broadcast Rights for Some NCAA Playoff Football Games
TNT Wins Broadcast Rights for Some NCAA Playoff Football Games
As it appears on the verge of losing rights to the NBA, TNT is pivoting to another high-profile sports property. Starting next season, TNT Sports will present two first-round College Football Playoff games. Beginning in 2026, TNT will add two quarterfinal games as well.
The deal comes through a sublicence with ESPN, TNT’s partner in the newly created sports streamer, Venu Sports.
ESPN will present all other College Football Playoff games on its networks including the annual CFP National Championship Game.
This year brings a huge expansion of the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12. The four highest-ranking conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and receive first-round byes. The CFP first round will consist of four games played at home campus venues, with teams seeded 5-8 hosting teams seeded 9-12.
Where Can You Stream TNT?
In 2024, four live TV streaming services carry TNT: DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. You can start watching with a free trial. There is no contract required - you can cancel anytime. You can access these services on a smart TV, a streaming device like a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick, or your phone, tablet, or computer. As long as you have an internet connection, you can get TV.
If you only need TNT for a few days, we recommend the 5-day free trial of DIRECTV STREAM. The service includes 20 simultaneous streams and a huge channel lineup. TNT is among 31 of the top 35 cable channels channels offered by this service. If you max out your options, you can get as many as 283 channels.
We like DIRECTV STREAM for its great picture and an unbeatable lineup of regional sports networks.
Another top option is Hulu Live TV. You can try it free for 3 days. In addition to 33 of the top 35 cable channels, you’ll also get the great on-demand libraries of Hulu, Disney+, and the live sports of ESPN+. That’s a fantastic value for 3 free days.
Thanks to those free services, this is the best overall entertainment value available right now.
If you want to save money over the long haul, we recommend Sling TV. This ultra-flexible live streamer offers lots of different channel packages, but you can get TNT on either of their base packages. You can get your first month of Sling for just $20. No other live streaming service offers more ways to save money.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $82.99 | ||
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Are There Other Ways to See TNT Sports?
If you’re just looking for the sports on TNT, you can sign up for Max, since it offers the TNT and TBS sports on its Bleacher Report tier. Unfortunately, there is no free trial of this service.
Max is home to 100 years of Warner Bros. movies like “Dune,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Wonka,” “Her,” “Barbie,” “Inception,” and “The Lord of the Rings.” You’ll also see groundbreaking HBO series like “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood,” “The Wire,” “Chernobyl,” “Watchmen,” “Sex and the City,” “Euphoria,” “The Last of Us,” and “Game of Thrones.”
What TNT and ESPN Are Saying About the Deal
“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, TNT Sports. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”
“ESPN is pleased to sublicense to TNT Sports a select number of early round games of the College Football Playoff, an event we’ve helped to grow – alongside the CFP – into one of the preeminent championships,” said Rosalyn Durant, ESPN executive vice president, programming & acquisitions. “We’re confident in the reach and promotion that this new agreement will provide as we enter the new, expanded playoff era.”
“It is exciting to add TNT Sports, another highly respected broadcaster, to the College Football Playoff family,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “Sports fans across the country are intimately familiar with their work across a wide variety of sports properties over the past two decades, and we look forward to seeing what new and innovative ideas they bring to the promotion and delivery of these games.”