ESPN will pay about $345 million more a year for a 24-team College Football Playoff starting in 2027. Its real added cost is closer to $205 million, because the conference title games ESPN already pays for are going away.
The College Football Playoff is doubling, and Disney's ESPN is picking up the check.
The CFP announced Monday that the field grows from 12 teams to 24 starting with the 2027 season, and ESPN stays its exclusive rights holder through the 2031 season. ESPN's Heather Dinich reported the new five-year deal is worth nearly $1.7 billion, or about $345 million a year on top of the roughly $1.3 billion ESPN already pays annually.
There's a discount built in. The Power 4 conference championship games go away. ESPN holds the rights to the SEC, Big 12 and ACC title games and gets back about $140 million a year for losing them, so its real added cost is closer to $205 million a year, ESPN reported.
"This moment reinforces our position as the preeminent destination for college sports," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said.
NBC News has a quick look at the change:
How does the 24-team College Football Playoff work?
Field: 19 at-large teams, the four Power 4 conference champions and the top-ranked Group of 6 team
Byes: The top eight seeds skip the first round
Home games: The first two rounds are played on the higher seed's campus
Notre Dame: No more guaranteed spot
Season: Starts with "Week Zero," the week before Labor Day, and wraps up Thanksgiving weekend
Power 4 champions will come from regular-season standings and conference tiebreakers, since the title games are gone. The CFP's management committee, made up of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, voted unanimously for the change.
By our math, that's 23 playoff games a year, up from 11 now. That lines up with ESPN's report of 12 new games.
CFP executive director Rich Clark acknowledged the pushback. He said the group knows "many fans aren't in favor of expansion."
When is the first 24-team College Football Playoff?
The 2027 season. This season's playoff still uses 12 teams. Here are the key dates for the first 24-team bracket, per ESPN:
Dec. 31, 2027: Sugar Bowl quarterfinal
Jan. 1, 2028: Fiesta, Peach and Rose Bowl quarterfinals
Jan. 13 and 14, 2028: Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl semifinals
Jan. 24, 2028: National championship in New Orleans
Army-Navy moves to Dec. 4 with a window all to itself, and the Heisman ceremony is expected that evening.
What does the deal mean for Disney?
More playoff games on Disney-owned channels. ABC will carry at least three first-round and three second-round games each year, Awful Announcing reported. ESPN also keeps the Selection Show and the weekly rankings show.
ESPN doesn't have to air every new game itself. It can hand six of the 12 new games to approved partners, ESPN reported. TNT Sports keeps its current sublicense, which this season covers two first-round games, two quarterfinals and a semifinal, Awful Announcing said. The CW has shown interest in some games, too.
For Disney's books, ESPN's numbers land in the Sports segment. Disney said in August it expects Sports operating income to grow in the mid-single digits this fiscal year, not counting an extra week on the calendar. Disney reports results Nov. 17.
How can you stream ESPN's playoff games?
ESPN's channels stream in the ESPN app with an ESPN Unlimited subscription. TV Guide pointed fans there for last season's title game on ESPN and listed it at $29.99 a month, or $35.99 a month in a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu. Hulu + Live TV includes ESPN, too.
Disney+ simulcast a handful of regular-season college football games early this season, Awful Announcing reported in August. Disney hasn't said whether any playoff games will stream on Disney+.
How much does ESPN pay for college football?
A lot. ESPN signed a six-year, $7.8 billion CFP deal in March 2024 that runs through the 2031 season, ESPN reported. The new money sits on top of that.
Fox, which airs the Big Ten title game, is expected to get back about $50 million a year now that game is gone, ESPN reported. Rivalry week stays put on Thanksgiving weekend.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
ESPN (Nov. 9, 2026), the deal value, format, key dates, sublicensing and the Pitaro and Clark quotes
Deadline (Nov. 9, 2026), the deal's start in the 2027-28 season and ESPN's ancillary shows
Awful Announcing (Nov. 9, 2026), ABC's game guarantee and the TNT Sports and CW details
Awful Announcing (Aug. 25, 2026), the Disney+ college football simulcasts
TV Guide (Jan. 2026), ESPN Unlimited and bundle prices
The Walt Disney Company (Aug. 5, 2026), the Sports segment outlook
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