TNT to televise select College Football Playoff games for 5 seasons

TNT is getting in on College Football Playoff action.

The CFP announced Wednesday that TNT Sports has reached a 5-year sublicensing agreement with ESPN. Earlier this year, the CFP extended its deal with ESPN as the media rights holder. The new agreement allowed for ESPN to sublicense games to other broadcasters.

“It is exciting to add TNT Sports, another highly respected broadcaster, to the College Football Playoff family,” Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff, said in a release. “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.”

TNT Sports will present two first-round College Football Playoff games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In addition to the first-round games, TNT Sports will add two quarterfinal games each year beginning in 2026 and running through the 2028 season. ESPN will present all other CFP games, including the National Championship, on its own networks.

“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,” Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO, TNT Sports said in a released statement. “TNT Sports aims to delight fans and drive maximum reach and engagement for these marquee games.”

The 2024 season is the first of the new 12-team CFP format. The top 4 conference champions will receive the 1-4 seeds and a first-round bye. The first-round contests will be played on college campuses Dec. 20-21, with seeds 5-8 hosting seeds 9-12.

After the first round, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at the sites of the bowl games previously known as the New Year’s Six. Here’s a look at the schedule for the quarterfinals and semifinals:

• CFP Quarterfinals:
  • Fiesta Bowl, Dec. 31
  • Peach Bowl, Jan.1
  • Rose Bowl, Jan. 1
  • Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1
• CFP Semifinals:
  • Orange Bowl, Jan. 9
  • Cotton Bowl, Jan. 10

Atlanta is the host site of this season’s national championship game. It will be played on Jan. 20, 2025.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.