ESPN has sublicensed 16 College Football Playoff (CFP) games to TNT Sports in a five-year agreement, it was announced on Wednesday.
TNT Sports will televise two first-round College Football Playoff games during both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Then beginning with the 2026 season and extending through the 2028 season, TNT will televise two quarterfinal-round games each season in addition to two first-round games.
Below is a look at each season with contests on TNT:
2024
- Two first-round games
2025
- Two first-round games
2026
- Two first-round games
- Two quarterfinal-round games
2027
- Two first-round games
- Two quarterfinal-round games
2028
- Two first-round games
- Two quarterfinal-round 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,” said Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO, TNT Sports. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”
For the games sublicensed to TNT, the network will be the primary network televising those contests.
“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 will continue to televise the other College Football Playoff games, including the two semifinal games and the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“It is exciting to add TNT Sports, another highly respected broadcaster, to the College Football Playoff family,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “Sports fans across the country are intimately familiar with their work across a wide variety of sports properties over the past two decades, and we look forward to seeing what new and innovative ideas they bring to the promotion and delivery of these games.”
The 2024 season will mark the first for the College Football Playoff with 12 teams. The first-round games are slated to be played on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21. The quarterfinals this season will be played at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31), Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Jan. 1), Rose Bowl Game (Jan. 1), and Allstate Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1).
The College Football Playoff Semifinals are set for Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
College Football Playoff Schedule
In a future contract with a 14-team playoff this is how the CFP should be divided:
First round: 1 game each on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW and ESPN
Quarterfinals: 1 game each on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC
Last two rounds: Alternate between ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC
Z-Man you are GROUNDED from watching College Football & Packers games in 2024.
Z-Man is a MEAN person
Z-Man is a MEAN person
Z-Man is a MEAN person
Z-Man is a MEAN person
Z-Man is a MEAN person
Z-Man is a MEAN person
Dan, you are being the meaner person to Z-Man.
He did nothing wrong in his comment.
Z-Man just has cuckoo suggestions about almost everything in CFB.
Part of me thinks that the two Christmas NFL games on Netflix get this treatment.
Translation: in an attempt to keep Fox out of the CFP, ESPN/Disney overbid. To help cover the cost of overpaying, they sold 30% of the games to a different network, which doesn’t have the rights to any regular season college football.
All of this is good for the viewers and fans of college football, How? Oh, that’s right, the decision makers have ZERO interest in the viewers and fans of college football.
Remember Turner does not have regular season College Basketball games & I am a Fan of CBS/Turner partnership during March Madness.
I’m not sure why you care that TNT doesn’t broadcast any regular season games.
Evidently the announcers will still be ESPN announcers. Not sure how they will brand it. “ESPN on TNT”?
To Richard please do not be concerned about ESPN on TNT.
If Turner can do Men’s March Madness they can do College Football Playoff Too.
It looks like they’ll be all but ESPN broadcasts–crew, announcers, etc. Just airing on TNT and branded as TNT Sports. So no Kevin Harlan. Maybe Ernie will host the studio portion.
To PeteF3 please give Turner a chance do not be concerned about it.
TNT will actually broadcast the games with their own announcers. Keep in mind that is what the CW does with ACC games. They sublicense those games also from ESPN but they use their own graphics and broadcasters. Same thing will happen with TNT. They actually have a partnership with CBS so I expect they will have similar announcers for the playoff games like they do for March Madness. Ian Eagle or Tom McCarthy will probably be “borrowed” from CBS to work those games. But TNT will cover those games themselves- not using ESPN announcers.
Hank Your comments were fantastic & I have 114% confidence with Turner sublicenses with ESPN for CFP.
“Per The Athletic, the games will be produced by ESPN with ESPN broadcasters, but use TNT branding”
“Per The Athletic, the games will be produced by ESPN with ESPN broadcasters, but use TNT branding”
I have no problem with TNT doing playoff games, but my opinion, is that they will most likely lose the NBA, so I would not be surprised at some point, besides the playoff games each year, that they start doing some regular season games each week, maybe not this year but within a few years.
Check yourself Z-Man or MEAN Man argues with everybody including his brother & he wants to put more pressure on Networks for College Football Playoff & speaking College Football Playoff I am 114% blessed & happy agreement between ESPN & Turner(TNT).
Check yourself is right though. I am allowed to speak my opinion here. I could say how annoyed I am at you using the term “114%” but I don’t. I respect you, and I want you to respect me back.
I will do my very best Z-Man & hope you do not mind me being more relaxed however I do accept what happens even if does not go the way that i wanted & I am blessed & happy be an excellent sport about it.
It’s good business for ESPN to prop up TNT by selling them these CFP games.
The ”cable” TV bundle is ESPN’s cash cow. Putting more live sports on TNT gives sports fans more reason to keep a cable or satellite or YouTube TV type of bundle, and that keeps the revenue flowing downstream to ESPN.
M 114% agreeable.
Hank Loranger…”Per The Athletic, the games will be produced by ESPN with ESPN broadcasters, but use TNT branding”
I stand corrected. That’s weird that they are doing that. I guess that might explain why Fox and CBS were out. I guarantee you they would have demanded to produce the games themselves with their own talent. Oh well. I guess we’ll be stuck with Fowler and Herbie and the overbearing SEC love on the TNT broadcasts, too. In the past, other networks have sublicensed games and used their own production and crews. But oh well, ESPN owns it so I guess they can do what they want with it. Thanks E and my humblest apologies.
Given TNT’s likely absence in NBA coverage, the viewers will be left with TNT’s pinching penny operations. The NHL playoffs broadcasts are the most recent example with remote announcers being used to call games.