ESPN secured rights to an expanded college-football playoff structure, lending ballast to the media-industry notion that you can’t have enough of this level of game play at this moment in the sector.
Under terms of a new deal, the Disney sports-media giant will be the exclusive worldwide rightsholder to an expanded 24-team College Football Playoff, starting with the 2027-28 season. ESPN gets media rights eight CFP first round games, eight CFP second round games, four CFP quarterfinals, two CFP semifinals and the CFP national championship — compared with 11 games in the current 12-team Playoff.
The pact runs through the 2031-32 season and builds on a six-year agreement ESPN and the CFP announced in 2024, which began with the 2026-27 season. The deal also includes continued exclusive rights to all ancillary programming connected to the playoff. ESPN has the right to sublicense select games in addition to its existing sublicense with TNT Sports, which was announced in May 2024.
“ESPN and the College Football Playoff have worked collaboratively for more than a decade to make the CFP one of the marquee events in all of sports, and we remain firmly committed to elevating it in its new, expanded 24-team format,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, in a statement. “We value the trust that the CFP has placed in us as its exclusive media partner, and our continued presentation of this premier championship further solidifies ESPN as the home of college football and the destination for college sports for years to come.”
ESPN has spent years building up its college-football franchise, adding Pat McAfee to its stalwart Saturday program “College GameDay,” and using the program as a lure when grappling with contract problems with distributors. ESPN’s collegiate-sports portfolio includes long-term agreements with the NCAA, SEC, ACC, Big 12, American, Sun Belt, MAC, Conference USA, and the Heisman Trophy Ceremony. And the advertising connected with the games helps the company as it continues to push harder on a string of live events it offers across the programming season.
Disney’s ad sales operation will continue to serve as the exclusive seller of the CFP’s sponsor program, offering additional inventory across the expanded schedule.
Beginning with the 2027-28 season, ESPN will broadcast at least three games from each of the new CFP First Round and CFP Second Round on ABC. ESPN’s deal also includes rights to simulcast or “megacast” CFP games across all Walt Disney Company networks.
“We are thrilled to continue our broadcast relationship with ESPN, which has been a terrific partner of the CFP since its inception,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP, in a statement. “Like the CFP, ESPN celebrates everything that makes the sport of college football so great. The promotion, storytelling and innovation ESPN brings to the CFP, college football fans and the sport in general, is second to none. We know that level of excellence will continue as we embark on this journey to a 24-team format.”
