Report: FOX considering 'massive' bid for rights to College Football Playoff

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•01/03/24•

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As the College Football Playoff rights talks continue, a new network could be entering the fray. FOX is “weighing a ‘massive’ bid to snatch all or parts” of the rights to the CFP, Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy reported.

ESPN currently holds the exclusive rights to the CFP, including the reveal shows on Tuesday nights in November and all three games — two semifinals and the championship. The field will expand to 12 teams next season, which was a year earlier than expected, and the CFP’s current contract with ESPN expires in 2026.

One of the signs FOX could make a run at the CFP’s rights, according to FOS, was a comment from company CEO Lachlan Murdoch,. He said the network wouldn’t bid on the rights to the NBA, which is also preparing to go through negotiations with its deal set to expire soon. ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery are expected to be suitors.

“I hate to disappoint [the league], but we are highly unlikely to bid on the NBA,” Murdoch said, via Sports Pro Media. “We look at our sports portfolio and try to balance it overall. And in doing so, I think it’s highly unlikely that we would bid on the NBA.”

There have been multiple rumors about the future TV home of the College Football Playoff. In late November, FOS reported the CFP could consider a deal similar to the Super Bowl, which involves multiple networks getting the rights on an annual basis. Those parties “range from ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports to giant streamers Amazon Prime Video and Apple.”

The idea of FOX potentially swooping in, though, is even more interesting considering the network is ESPN’s top competitor. Big Noon Kickoff turned in strong ratings as it went head-to-head with College GameDay, and the “Big Noon Saturday” game on FOX was the most-watched in college football this year. Now, according to FOS, the network is getting ready to build a “war chest” to challenge for the rights to the CFP.

It’s also an interesting time for college football media rights as a whole. The SEC is currently getting ready to make ESPN its sole rights-holder, and the Big Ten will now be full-go on its deal with FOX, CBS and NBC. The 2023 season marked NBC’s first year with the Big Ten after a long partnership with Notre Dame as the network gets more involved in the college football space.