New Orleans, Louisiana – A recent deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney’s ESPN is set to shake up the landscape of college football broadcasting. Warner Bros. Discovery has secured a five-year sublicensing agreement with ESPN to air first-round and quarterfinal College Football Playoff games, marking a significant move in bolstering its sports programming offerings.
As part of the deal, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT will broadcast two first-round games in the upcoming years, with an additional two quarterfinal games to be added starting in 2026. Disney also has the option to sublicense a semifinal game to Warner Bros. Discovery in the later years of the contract. The agreement, reportedly worth hundreds of millions per year, solidifies Warner Bros. Discovery’s position in the college football broadcasting arena.
The new 12-team College Football Playoff format, which replaces the previous four-team tournament, is set to debut in December. The top four teams will receive byes, while teams ranked fifth to twelfth will compete in first-round games at the higher-ranked team’s home stadium. ESPN will lead the production of the games, utilizing primarily ESPN talent for the broadcasts under the TNT branding.
“I am excited to welcome TNT Sports, a well-respected broadcaster, to the College Football Playoff family,” stated Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff. With TNT joining the broadcasting lineup, fans can expect new and innovative approaches to game promotion and delivery.
In addition to acquiring the College Football Playoff rights, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to include the games on its Max sports tier. This move comes at a crucial time as the company navigates negotiations with the National Basketball Association for a package of live games. Despite potential shifts in its NBA partnership, Warner Bros. Discovery will maintain coverage of both the College Football Playoff and the NBA until mid-2025.
By securing the sublicensing rights to the College Football Playoff games, Warner Bros. Discovery ensures that all CFP matchups will be available on Venu Sports, a new sports streaming service being developed in collaboration with Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. This strategic move not only enhances Warner Bros. Discovery’s sports programming portfolio but also positions the company favorably for upcoming carriage renewal negotiations for its cable networks.