Report: College Football Playoff, ESPN reach $7.8B extension

The College Football Playoff agreed to a six-year extension of its broadcast deal with ESPN worth $7.8 billion, The Athletic reported on Monday.

The deal keeps all CFP games on ESPN's family of networks through the 2031 season, concluding with the national title game in January 2032.

However, the contract won't be ratified until CFP leadership irons out the format of the tournament going forward.

The playoff will expand from four to 12 teams for the first time next year, and the original agreement was to include the six highest-ranked conference champions and the six highest-ranked at-large teams — the so-called 6+6 model.

With the Pac-12 set to fold following the current season, the number of power conferences shrinks, and some league commissioners are pushing to modify the format to 5+7, which most likely would keep the field at one "Group of Five" conference champion.

The extension kicks in for the 2026 season, but for the next two years ESPN still controls the rights to all games, including the new first round and quarterfinals.

According to the report, ESPN will have the right to "sublicense" CFP games over the course of the contract to other media organizations or streamers.

—Field Level Media