Streaming companies interested in buying CFP games
Jan 13, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship logo at midfield at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The expanded College Football Playoff will give more teams a chance to contend for a national championship, and it has also created an opportunity for streaming services to try to get in on the action.
The College Football Playoff will expand from four to 12 teams beginning next season. ESPN owns the media rights to CFP games through 2025, but other players have entered the mix for 2026 and beyond. While TV networks like FOX and NBC are sure to submit bids, Front Office Sports reports that streaming services also have serious interest.
Apple and Amazon have both had preliminary discussions with the College Football Playoff about media rights packages beginning in 2026. The two tech giants also explored possible media rights agreements with the Pac-12 before the conference imploded.
The CFP will consist of 11 total games when expansion goes into effect next year. FOS notes that neither Amazon nor Apple are likely to be able to compete for semifinals games or the CFP National Championship Game, but they may be able to secure rights to first-round games.
Bringing in as many bidders as possible will drive up the price, which is exactly what the CFP wants. Although having CFP games on streaming services probably would not be all that popular among fans, we have seen with the NFL and its “Thursday Night Football” package on Amazon that money is always the deciding factor.
