ESPN has agreed to a six-year extension worth $1.3 billion a season with the College Football Playoff, according to The Athletic.
The deal makes The Worldwide Leader in Sports the home of the tournament, now set to feature 12 teams, through to the 2031/32 season, though CFP heads are still left to figure out various specifics as to how the new-look playoffs will work.
As such, the CFP’s management committee and board of managers have scheduled meetings for next week in the hope of ironing out certain minor issues. The deal won’t be ratified until the commissioners and presidents vote on the structure and financials of the expanded tournament.
“The deal would give ESPN control over nearly all Division I college sports championships, outside of the men’s basketball tournament, which is televised by CBS, TNT and their sister networks and platforms through 2032,” the publication reports.
“In early January, ESPN and the NCAA announced a new eight-year, $920 million contract that gives the network the rights to 40 championships, including the women’s basketball tournament. That extension begins in September.”
ESPN has two years remaining on its current deal, which pays out $608 million a year for the CFP semifinals and National Championship, as well as the other four New Year’s Six Bowl Games.
Given that the changes to the playoff format are coming as soon as next season, the price for the first round of fixtures is still unknown. The quarterfinals will be played at the existing New Year’s Six bowl games, with ESPN already holding the rights.
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According to The Athletic, the new deal will give the network the authority to sublicense games and allow another network or digital platform to air them, but it would be at their discretion.
