Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Network has signed a five-year deal with Walt Disney network ESPN to broadcast select College Football Playoff games beginning with the upcoming college football season.
Walt Disney said Wednesday that TNT will show second-round games for two years and two quarterfinal games through the 2028 season.
TNT will air sublicensed College Football Playoff games on additional TNT Sports distribution platforms, Disney said.
The announcement comes as TNT may lose media rights to the National Basketball Association, which it has broadcast since 1984. Earlier this month, CEO David Zaslav said the company is “hopeful” that reach an agreement with the NBA to continue the league with Max and TNT.
NBA rights are considered central to Warner Bros.’ efforts. Discovery to drive growth in its streaming business and retain cable customers.
Comcast’s NBCUniversal plans to pay an average of about $2.5 billion annually to broadcast a package of NBA games, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
In addition, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp. will launch their sports streaming service Venu Sports this fall to attract a younger audience.