TNT SPORTS should expand its rights as a series of university football playoffs by broadcasting a semi-final match each year from 2026 to 2028 in an agreement with ESPN, people informed the decision told Athletics.
While ESPN holds the diffusion rights on the CFP throughout the 2031 season, he already had an agreement in place with TNT to dismiss other matches. TNT broadcast two Saturday games in the first round last season, and TNT will again have two first -round games this coming season, both from a medium series. TNT also has duties on two quarter-finals each year from 2026 to 2028. Now, he will also add a semi-final during these years. Yahoo Sports first pointed out the expected agreement.
Last year’s qualifying matches on TNT were produced by ESPN and used ESPN broadcasters, but were marked with TNT Sports. This will continue thanks to this prolonged agreement.
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro told Sports Business Journal last year that ESPN did not initially intend to subduce CFP games, but TNT Sports, which is part of Warner Bros. Discovery, offered a “very attractive” offer. ESPN will pay approximately $ 1.3 billion per year for CFP rights until 2031 when the next contract begins next year, according to sources involved in the negotiation. ESPN also has the right to subduce the games from 2028 to 2031.
However, what the CFP looks like in 2026 and beyond is still in the air. Big ten and dry have a control over what the format will be, and the winds tend to develop to A 16 team model. This next contract does not require ESPN that they pay more beyond the 11 games currently in the 12 team model. It is also possible that an qualifying series of 16 teams can start a week earlier, the teams between the teams from 13 to 16 against each other on what is generally a weekend of the Navy army.
We do not yet know which games would fall under TNT rights for the games “in the first round” in this situation, because a format has not yet been determined. This semi-final license agreement also strengthens the transition from TNT to university sports after losing the rights of the NBA. As part of a commercial type move last year which will send the studio program “Inside The NBA” to ESPN on a license agreement, TNT Sports has obtained the rights of Big 12 football matches and male basketball.
The Big 12 recently announced Three first football games that will be broadcast on TNT and the maximum streaming service this fall. TNT SPORTS also broadcast Mountain West football matches on TRUTV. These sets of games will be produced and equipped with TNT Sports.
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