College Football Playoff Discussing Exclusive Contract Extension with ESPN: Report
ESPN dropped a report in the middle of the College Football Playoff Championship Game between Michigan and Washington that the network is discussing an extension of the current deal to exclusively air the event.
It would be an eight-year deal, including the final two years on the current CFP contract plus a new six-year agreement for the next iteration of the College Football Playoff. The 12-team Playoff is set to begin during the 2024 college football season.
As for the money involved, according to ESPN’s report on ESPN’s bid (yes, you read that right), the network is considering paying approximately $1.3 billion for the rights to the new six-year deal starting in the 2026 season.
ESPN has been the only network to air the CFP since its inception, and the 12-year contract is set to expire after the 2025 season.
This is not what the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick had originally wanted. Those decision makers have preferred the NFL model, which allows all major broadcast partners to get some broadcasts in the NFL Playoffs. This group did meet for its annual meeting on Monday, prior to Washington and Michigan playing in the National Championship.
ESPN has declined to comment publicly, to ESPN, on this report.
