ESPN Agrees To Sublicense College Football Playoff Games to TNT
In what can only be described as a shocking development, ESPN and TNT have reached a five-year agreement that will see TNT Sports sublicense select College Football Playoff (CFP) games from the Worldwide Leader in Sports beginning this season.
ESPN, of course, recently signed a six-year extension with the College Football Playoff, securing the rights to the expanded playoffs for a reported $7.8 million.
Per the new agreement, TNT will present two first-round College Football Playoff games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. From 2026 through 2028, TNT will also sublicense two quarterfinal games.
“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,” TNT Sports Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser said in a statement. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”
The College Football Playoffs Are Expanding
The ESPN-TNT deal was made possible by the fact that the College Football Playoffs will expand from four to twelve teams this season. The new format gave ESPN eight additional games to work with.
“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.”
ESPN and TNT Will Both Be Avaialble on Venu
Interestingly, the new deal comes just months after Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns TNT) announced the creation of Venu. The new sports-centric streaming service will include the ESPN family of networks and TNT, among other sports stations. Venu is expected to launch later this year.
Still, despite the partnership, it is surprising to see ESPN offering TNT the rights to anything as lucrative as the College Football Playoffs. Perhaps we will get more details on the deal soon.
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