College Football Playoff media rights projected at over $2 billion per year after expansion

With the College Football Playoff expected to be a 12-team event in the near future (by 2026), more money than ever will be flowing as media rights to the CFP will be highly sought after.

Think about it: The playoff games are already must-see television for college football fans, and only four fanbases can “truly” say that they’re invested in it. That hasn’t stopped the CFP from becoming almost a mini-American holiday since its inception in 2014.

Now consider how eight more teams added to the mix will change the landscape and increase the hype.

In fact, Front Office Sports is reporting that the expanded CFP media rights could be worth well over $2 billion annually, which is over double what it’s currently worth.

ESPN currently pays an average of $470 million a year for the rights to the four-team CFP.

“Bob Thompson, the former president of Fox Sports Networks, thinks combined annual rights of $2 billion would be a “little light” given the addition of so many new postseason game telecasts,” Front Office Sports reports.

“I think it will be north of $2 billion. So ($2.2 billion) is possible,” Thompson said.

It’s not all that surprising, because football is king, but it is worth noting that even the conservative value of $2 billion per year would make the extended CFP media package worth more than March Madness — which CBS/Turner paid $870 million for this year.

It will also be bigger than the Big Ten’s massive television rights deal, which is expected to average over $1 billion a year.

We’ve always known college football is big money. This report just proves it…again.

Andrew Kulha