ESPN announces 5-year deal to sublicense College Football Playoff games to TNT Sports

ESPN has announced a five-year deal with TNT Sports to sublicense College Football Playoff games. As part of the deal, TNT will broadcast two first-round games in 2024 and 2025 before adding quarterfinals each year from 2026-28.

Under the agreement, ESPN will air all other games on its family of networks. That includes the national championship game, which will be played Jan. 20 in Atlanta this year as the field expands to 12 teams.

“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, TNT Sports chairman and CEO, in a statement. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”

ESPN has reached a 5-yr agreement to sublicense select @CFBPlayoff games to @tntsports

🏈 TNT will present 2 First-Round games during the '24 & '25 seasons
🏈 In addition to First-Round games, TNT will add 2 Quarterfinals each yr ('26-'28 seasons)

More: https://t.co/iNUsftVXtL pic.twitter.com/MwhqLyYPnm

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 22, 2024

Since the CFP replaced the BCS in 2014, ESPN held the exclusive rights to the national semifinals and championship game. The two sides then agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion extension in February, and as the field expands to 12 teams starting this season, ESPN has the ability to sublicense games to other networks.

TNT Sports is the primary choice – one college sports fans know well. The network, along with CBS, hold the rights to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Now, it will also have college football postseason games starting this season.

“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 of programming and acquisitions, in a statement. “We’re confident in the reach and promotion that this new agreement will provide as we enter the new, expanded playoff era.”

TNT Sports in interesting position ahead of CFP arrival

TNT Sports also has agreements with the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball as part of its portfolio. But the network finds itself in an interesting spot with regard to its NBA deal.

The association is going through media rights discussions, and a report from the Sports Business Journal indicates a deal could be close with ESPN, NBC/Comcast and Amazon to move the games away from TNT. However, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has matching rights, per Front Office Sports, meaning the discussions with the NBA could go down to the wire.

Losing the NBA would be a massive blow for TNT, especially if it means the demise of its highly rated pregame show. Inside The NBA is a fan favorite as Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson take fans around the association in a unique way.

Bringing two College Football Playoff games adds another interesting wrinkle to TNT Sports’ situation.

What ability to sublicense CFP games means for ESPN

Over the last 10 years, fans have had to go to one spot to watch the CFP. ESPN and ABC have held the exclusive rights from the get-go, giving the network perhaps the highest-profile games of the year outside of rivalry week.

Now, there will not only be more teams in the field, but also another network in the mix. According to the announcement, TNT will be the primary network, although TNT Sports could add “additional distribution platforms” such as a simulcast.

But for ESPN, the ability to sublicense gives the network that much more control over how College Football Playoff games are broadcast. That could pay off down the road as rumors swirl about further expansion, as well.

“And finally, it potentially offers ESPN additional upside,” Justin Beitler, director of global media rights counseling at Octagon, told On3’s Eric Prisbell in February. “If they can build the value of the expanded CFP early on in the next rights cycle, they can potentially sublicense the rights at a premium further down the road, if they choose.”