After all, the College Football Playoff will have a non-ESPN television presence. In March of this year, reports emerged that ESPN would be the only outlet for the playoffs. If true, this would have cemented ESPN’s control of the playoffs and limited how the playoffs were covered. It was important that other vehicles were part of the playoff mix. It turns out that ESPN, in exchange for paying a huge amount of money to control playoff distribution rights, needed to sublicense some playoff games to recoup some revenue. That process took place on Wednesday when ESPN sublicensed several games from the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff to TNT Sports. TNT will broadcast two first-round games this year, in 2025, and also in future playoffs.
A number of questions emerge from this deal, starting with how many games Fox, CBS and NBC can get from ESPN in similar sublicensing deals. Another big question is who will staff TNT’s studio show and broadcast booth for College Football Playoff coverage. Many fans think that with TNT’s “Inside the NBA” ending after next season (due to TNT losing the NBA after next season), Charles Barkley would be a natural for TNT studio commentary, even if no one saw him as a football player. specialist. Sports are entertainment, and Barkley is one of the most entertaining talkers on television.
It will be fascinating to see how the College Football Playoff and college football on TNT evolve.
TNT Sports has reached a five-year agreement with ESPN to sublicense select College Football Playoff (CFP) games from ESPN, beginning with the upcoming college football season. Two first-round games will be on TNT this fall.
– Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) May 22, 2024
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