ESPN Open to Sharing CFP Rights After Expansion

An expansion to the College Football Playoff could open the door for additional media companies to get a piece of the action.

ESPN has signaled a willingness to share the media rights — which could be worth as much as $2.2 billion annually — to the expanded format.

“We’ve been clear to anyone who is interested that we are very willing to be flexible here and be creative in terms of this expansion,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

• The expansion from four to 12 teams could come as soon as 2024.
• ESPN reportedly would want to hang on to the championship game and several playoff games in any arrangement. Last year’s final between Alabama and Georgia drew 23 million viewers.
• Amazon and Apple could both enter the picture as they seek to expand their sports portfolios.

ESPN pays a reported $470 million on average to broadcast the CFP in a deal that runs through 2026. 

Total Package

ESPN, which inked a seven-year, $2.8 billion deal with the NHL last year, is also gearing up for upcoming negotiations with the NBA.

The league’s current deals with ESPN and Turner Sports pay $2.6 billion annually in a deal that runs through the 2024-25 season. Previous reports indicated that the NBA could seek to bump that figure to as high as $8 billion.