[Thamel] Sources: The average additional payment that ESPN will pay for the expanded college football playoff is $345 million annually the next five years, which is in addition to the average of $1.3 billion annually over that time ESPN is already paying.

[u/BuckeyeEmpire]

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/2111220934736859179

[u/CarlSteezer]

ESPN paying good money to ensure the teams they cover get ranked how they want them ranked.

[u/BIG_DICK_WHITT → u/CarlSteezer]

ESPN can eat my ass I hate how blatantly monetized this entire sport has become

[u/CarlSteezer → u/BIG_DICK_WHITT]

The 24 team playoff, presented by Kalshi, brought to you by ESPN and Blackrock, a Disney company. In partnership with GoDaddy and DraftKings. Use code SECOverlord to place a free $100 bet on #4 Arkansas (4-8) vs #5 Missouri (3-9)

[u/Jiveanimal → u/CarlSteezer]

As a parent, it's really weird that I have to counteract each of these ads with a mini-spiel about how gambling is degenerate. I 100% make sure that dude gets the counter-propaganda, but there's no reason to have this stuff advertised in sports. Marlboro's not pressing Nickelodeon.

[u/Drewfus_nocomments → u/Jiveanimal]

Holy shit, so I'm not the only dad doing this with my kid! On this glorious day, we (Roll Tide) mortal enemies, can agree on something. Those fuckers at Kalshi will not take our kids!

[u/Nicerendering → u/Jiveanimal]

I grew up watching beer commercials and I’m not a ..uh oh.

[u/LithHarborGymLeader → u/CarlSteezer]

dont forget poly market

[u/PartisanHack → u/CarlSteezer]

Yeah but those three wins were SUPER strong, they were against SEC teams !

[u/sigma_freud → u/BIG_DICK_WHITT]

I have seen your name so many times over the year and it makes me smile each time. Also, you’re 100% correct, this private equity consolidation is completely antithetical to the sport.

[u/MikeDamone → u/sigma_freud]

How exactly is this a private equity consolidation?

[u/sigma_freud → u/MikeDamone]

Even though Disney/ESPN isn’t PE, they have to get as much of the share as they can to keep competing with other media conglomerates. The cycle is vicious.

[u/BuckeyeEmpire → u/BIG_DICK_WHITT]

Excited for Kirk & Co to again let us know how troubling it is to see how the game is changing

[u/ThrowRA_looking → u/CarlSteezer]

Well obviously

[u/stonedturkeyhamwich → u/CarlSteezer]

If there is one thing this sub has taught me, it's that we should never give broadcasters control. Except for the game clock, broadcasters should obviously have complete control over that.

[u/tgusn88 → u/stonedturkeyhamwich]

I'm going to give you one second to reconsider that, buddy

[u/muttonchops215 → u/CarlSteezer]

Baylor's ranking has plummeted since this post.

[u/GhostDosa]

Amazing to me in this cord cutting era that ESPN can afford to pile on an extra billion dollars. That advertising space must be super lucrative.

[u/JoshHuff1332 → u/GhostDosa]

Sports is basically the only form of TV that people are still watching live on a weekly basis

[u/Unfair-Specific7225 → u/JoshHuff1332]

Don’t underestimate older people (50+) and their news

[u/JoshHuff1332 → u/Unfair-Specific7225]

A lot of older people record the news these days to fast forward through the commercials

[u/Pastagiorgio34 → u/JoshHuff1332]

This ^^^^^^^

[u/HarambeTooSoon → u/GhostDosa]

The full ESPN streaming subscription is $30 per month

From the average US cable bill about $10 per subscriber goes to ESPN, whether you watch it or not. At one point it was closer to $25 per subscriber. My mom has paid thousands for ESPN in her lifetime and has never watched it for a second. 

At peak cable, about 80% of ESPN's total revenue was from subscription fees. Today's its around 60%. 

Advertising is ESPN's second source of income, always has been. 

[u/Tarmacked → u/HarambeTooSoon]

It’s also a synergy. They were throwing Star Wars all over CFB content when they were releasing movies, they’ll do the same with Doomsday this fall

[u/BabyBearBjorns → u/Tarmacked]

The Mouse Always Wins.

[u/CieraVotedOutHerMom → u/HarambeTooSoon]

Those Home Depot checks for college gameday must be lucrative!

[u/SaltyTurdLicker → u/GhostDosa]

They’re taking some of the money that was originally for CCGs and moving it to the CFP

[u/thePublicCap → u/GhostDosa]

Small math note: $345M a year for five years is about $1.7B extra total, on top of the roughly $1.3B a year ESPN was already paying.

For scale, $345M is almost exactly 16 schools' worth of this year's House revenue-share cap ($21,583,913 per school). One year of the bump would cover the whole player-pay budget for a good chunk of a conference.

[u/BigBubby305]

You can buy a lot of coca-cola's with that kind of money.

[u/brokentr0jan]

It feels inherently wrong for a single network to completely control the playoff.

March Madness has multiple partners and it’s nice seeing the different ways they cover the tournament.

[u/Ok-Soil-5133 → u/brokentr0jan]

March Madness only has multiple partners because CBS couldn't afford it all and was at risk of losing it, it used to just be only on CBS

Ironically it doesn't have multiple partners anymore after the Skydance merger either

[u/Less_Likely → u/Ok-Soil-5133]

And the same people who buy the extra games for the basketball tournament will buy extra games from ESPN on the college football tournament

[u/Ok-Soil-5133 → u/Less_Likely]

Slightly different because at least in the prior agreements, ESPN produced the games that went off to TNT but yep

[u/brokentr0jan → u/Ok-Soil-5133]

TIL. I guess I don’t have good memory because I coulda swore it’s always also been on TNT and TBS and other channels

[u/Cars-and-Coffee → u/brokentr0jan]

To be fair, it's been a long time. It was in the 90s and 2000s that were exclusively CBS.

[u/helpmeredditimbored → u/brokentr0jan]

CBS had complete control of March Madness until 2011 they partnered with Turner because they couldn’t afford to keep it by themselves (they also needed additional channels as at the time CBS had no cable channels besides CBS Sports network)

After the Paramount / Warner Bros Merger it’s all under one company now.

Also NBC had complete control of the NHL playoffs for like 15+ years before they lost the contract

[u/DingerSinger2016 → u/helpmeredditimbored]

There was nothing like having to watch playoff hockey on CNBC

[u/Kirihuna → u/DingerSinger2016]

Or the VS Network. There was another network the used for awhile. Maybe even a Golf Network Game?

[u/hockeyrocks5757 → u/Kirihuna]

It was on OLN (Outdoor Learning Channel) lol

[u/SpreaditOnnn33 → u/hockeyrocks5757]

OLN became Versus in 2008, which then became NBC Sports Network in 2012, which then became NBCSN in 2016, which then became defunct in 2021, and then became NBCSN again roughly 2 years ago.

But they did have a few NHL games on Golf Network and a decent amount on CNBC

[u/dstanton → u/brokentr0jan]

It is even more wrong when that network contracts with 1 conference as their primary.

They have a massive conflict of interest to drive ratings and viewership to that conference, and in turn benefit from more members of that conference making the playoff.

[u/Ok-Soil-5133 → u/dstanton]

Ehh I don't think it matters. The committee is choosing the teams, not ESPN, they can drive whatever narrative they want but it doesn’t impact who the CFP selects at all

[u/brokentr0jan → u/Ok-Soil-5133]

This is a fair point. The committee based on my understanding is comprised of athletic directors from multiple different conferences

[u/dstanton → u/Ok-Soil-5133]

If you really think the biggest sport network driving content for their chosen conference doesn't raise perception for that conference, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.

The committee may pick the CFP schools, but the public perception, and by extension the rankings are not immune to bias. And there is only so much the committee can deviate from rankings based on "eye test"

[u/Ok-Soil-5133 → u/dstanton]

ADs on the committee do not care what talking heads think. At all.

[u/Milktoast375 → u/Ok-Soil-5133]

They don’t care what the talking heads think, but they care what the execs who cut the checks to the conferences, and therefore the schools, think

[u/SimilarOnion1655 → u/brokentr0jan]

FOX, CBS, and NBC should get first and second round playoff games too

[u/soreswan]

This is why they’d never give all conferences an auto bid.

[u/NotDoinAnythingEmber]

An extra $345 million a year just for the expanded playoff is wild. College football money is on another planet.

[u/GhostOfAbydos → u/NotDoinAnythingEmber]

They’re doubling the amount of games and only paying about 26% more. Probably a really good deal for ESPN depending on viewership for the early games

[u/anxiousauditor → u/GhostOfAbydos]

Kinda goes without saying the games later in the tournament are more valuable, both in terms of stakes and windows. Games in both the 1st (TNF) and 2nd rounds (TNF + Saturday) will end up competing against NFL games, and also against each other.

Will probably be

1 Thursday
1 Friday
6 Saturday (2x each noon, late afternoon, primetime)

[u/AnotherUnfunnyName → u/NotDoinAnythingEmber]

Given that the SEC Championship made around 80 to 100 million for the conference Championship Game all things considered, they would not have agreed to this if the number wasn't getting close to this.

[u/Extreme-Island-5041 → u/NotDoinAnythingEmber]

Stares longingly at my official/certified 2005 Vince Young signed national championship helmet and jersey.

[u/whatthepucks → u/[deleted]]

I’d love for ESPN to get Big Ten, ACC and Big XII rights.

[u/Lodge_Blackmun → u/whatthepucks]

They have the ACC. 

[u/Gavangus → u/Lodge_Blackmun]

They just dont act like it

[u/Altruistic_Night2 → u/[deleted]]

The sec wanted at max a 16 team playoffs any more than that doesn’t even benefit us at all

[u/RampageTaco → u/[deleted]]

I doubt ESPN wanted 24 teams. They're just paying to keep Fox out. Which is hilarious, because the whole point from the Big 10/Fox was to get Fox in the door.

[u/Ok-Soil-5133 → u/[deleted]]

I really don't think ESPN wanted it either because of how much they make already off conference title games.

They simply decided to pay up once it was clear 24 was happening.

[u/SirMellencamp → u/[deleted]]

I dont think ESPN wanted to pay for it. The ratings for that first round are going to be average

[u/deddykins → u/SirMellencamp]

Ratings are normal average, or bowl game average? Id assume the Ratings go up compared to bowl games.

[u/SaltyTurdLicker → u/deddykins]

I think the first year ratings will be good but then after it’ll be match up dependent for the first round

[u/deddykins → u/SaltyTurdLicker]

Youd also capture the audience of the teams who youd play in the next round too.

[u/Tommybrady20 → u/[deleted]]

We have to look at Tony Pettiti and Bevacqua too.

[u/xfan09 → u/[deleted]]

Southerners acting a puppet for a major conglomerate ?

You don’t say…..

[u/opentempo → u/[deleted]]

Tony Pettiti was the driving force behind the expansion to 24 teams. So you can thank your commissioner.

[u/Simping4Sumi → u/[deleted]]

Of course, sure the SEC benefits from having 8 teams in the playoffs, but at a cost of regular season ratings. They wouldn't lose out much by only sending 3-4 teams every year and having every conference getting an auto-bid since theoretically the B1G would be sending an equal amount, and both the B12 and ACC getting less than both. So the chances of an SEC team winning remain largely the same, but the conference will not get exposed badly by only sending their best. ESPN, on the other hand, would rather have guarantee viewership from larger fan bases instead of at least 6 G6 teams damping their ratings. Also, the CFP ranking show is now way more exciting because a lot of College Football fans care more about hypothetical matchups than actual games.

[u/DweltElephant0]

I still can’t fathom that the network that basically owns the SEC is also the exclusive partner of the whole college football playoff.

It’s so laughably corrupt that it circles back to funny

[u/Agile_Land_9951 → u/DweltElephant0]

The schools claim that they’re financially strapped across the board. Then don’t even bother to auction off CFP games to the highest bidder. Instead they just jump at espns initial offer. How is the big ten and all the other conferences okay with this?

[u/Huge-Internal6456 → u/Agile_Land_9951]

Money. Nobody else was going to offer that kind of money, certainly not NBC or FOX. Even if they would, it would be the same shit in a different toilet bowl. You’re kidding yourself if you think the other major networks aren’t in on the grift. It’s more economical to bid on games from ESPN than to allow the conferences to believe they have any leverage. 

[u/Agile_Land_9951 → u/Huge-Internal6456]

They’re all literally desperate for sports. Have you seen the ridiculous money they’ve given to wrestling?!

[u/SKM007 → u/Agile_Land_9951]

I think what’s the guy you responded to is saying is that it’s insider trading. The networks allow ESPN to take it and not go to market so they could get it in cheaper way than if they were to bid all against each each other. It’s a racket.

[u/SpreaditOnnn33 → u/Agile_Land_9951]

ESPN had the right of first refusal to match any offer, which is where that $345 million comes from.

And considering they are taking back roughly $140 million it previously spent broadcasting conference championship games, it really isnt a large increase in expenditure

[u/Noy_Telinu → u/DweltElephant0]

The South has been corrupt ever since it was colonized.

[u/mktcrasher → u/DweltElephant0]

And people will be in here defending it, lol.

[u/Global_You8515 → u/DweltElephant0]

Corporate oligarchy gonna corporate oligarchy.

[u/IdaDuck → u/DweltElephant0]

Luckily it’s the only corrupt shit going on right now.

[u/Commercial-East4069]

Seems a little light given that you’re almost doubling the games

[u/advancedmatt → u/Commercial-East4069]

The big money is not in the new TV money, it's in enticing boosters to give more to finance NIL for teams that will be in a 24-team playoff more often than they would have been in a 12-team playoff.

[u/Ok-Reach-2580 → u/Commercial-East4069]

You are doubling the games, but the games being added will be the lowest rated games of the playoffs as the first two rounds will draw lower viewership than the final three rounds.

[u/Commercial-East4069 → u/Ok-Reach-2580]

Not necessarily. Some of the first and second round games are going to be 2 big fan bases and you’re almost guaranteeing most of the teams with massive fan bases are getting in.

[u/smoothtrip]

This is what you all get for having such a stupid system for so long. Every sport does a base 2 playoffs (16 would have been natural).

But no, you want to do stupid nonsense to decide national champs. I am surprised we never drew straws to determine the national champs.

[u/54-2-10 → u/smoothtrip]

The playoff could be great if they awarded conference champions, and a few at large.

Say 10 conf champs and 6 at-large, with a cap of like 3 per conference.

It would solve most problems. Regular season and conference championships would still matter. Teams would schedule tough out-of-conference in case the need an at-large, and EVERY school would start with a chance to participate.

[u/Clean_Kangaroo_5547 → u/54-2-10]

Ya but the powers within want to make sure their school gets in every year

[u/BurritoBoiii1202 → u/54-2-10]

That’s what the FCS-D3 do and there’s no issues. FBS football is so corrupt smh.

[u/squareturd → u/smoothtrip]

What you're not understanding is how many cool things your giving up just to get a clear national championship.

[u/dick-slapperman → u/smoothtrip]

I don’t get this opinion. Like, the sport was criticized my entire childhood for not having a playoff, then they let the genie out of the bottle, and exactly what the old heads were afraid would happen happens, and it’s their fault?

[u/AlphaBravo95 → u/dick-slapperman]

People who are wanting to go back to the bcs days are just being nostalgic. Bowl games are no less meaningful now then they were then, we just didn’t have anything better to do back then so we all made bowl pick-ems and watched the independence bowl for the same reason we watch games on Thursday nights we wouldn’t watch on Saturday. It was what we had.

[u/dick-slapperman → u/AlphaBravo95]

Sure, but personally I would have preferred winning a bowl game and ending our best season since 2012 on a positive note instead of our first round exit last year. Just me though

[u/pessimism_yay → u/smoothtrip]

Doesn't the nfl do like 2x6 teams?

[u/kratiq → u/pessimism_yay]

7 but yeah

[u/manofmonkey → u/pessimism_yay]

They used to with top 2 seeds in the conference getting a bye. Now it’s only the top seed per conference that gets a bye with 7 teams per side.

[u/Global_You8515]

Top headline on ESPN this evening is calling this "The 24 Team Playoff that Nobody Asked For."

Two years worth of billable hours is a wild amount of effort for a network to spend working towards something they apparently didn't ask for.🙄

[u/Revolver_Oshawott_ → u/Global_You8515]

My first thought was "That sounds like something Bill Connelly would write"

I was right lol

[u/Huge-Internal6456 → u/Global_You8515]

They didn’t. That’s why they wanted it to stay at 12. It was the B1G (NBC) and the FOX-sponsored conferences wanting expansion. They only wanted it because it makes the games they bid for from ESPN cheaper. 

[u/Global_You8515 → u/Huge-Internal6456]

Why would they do that though?

NBC & FOX don't currently sublicense from ESPN for CFP games - only TNT.

And both NBC & FOXs game inventories lose a lot of value with the expansion since their regular season games will now likely attract less viewers -- and they they lose the conference championship games which were their biggest moneymakers.

[u/Competitive-Zone-330 → u/Global_You8515]

Because if it was expanding past 16 it was supposed to go to an open bid, but somehow ESPN just… didn’t let them? I’m still very confused about how this even came to be

[u/atlbluedevil → u/Competitive-Zone-330]

So ESPN had a 30 day exclusive negotiation window and the CFP submitted their 24 team proposal on the final day of that proposal

ESPN came back close to what they asked for, and the CFP has seemingly accepted

CFP got the terms they wanted, no need to go to open market

[u/Drewfus_nocomments]

How long until ESPN renegitiates their TV contracts and raises prices. They are already a huge chuck of streaming costs. This will certainly add more cost.

[u/njk12]

Kind of amazing that the deal was sweet enough for the B1G to bail on Fox and the Championship game

[u/SirMellencamp → u/njk12]

ESPN absolutely does not want to let Fox or NBC in that door and were going to bid as much as they could stand to make sure that didnt happen

[u/EastonMetsGuy]

ESPN runs college football.

You will get whatever talking points they want Pat McAfee to shove down your throat

You’ll get whatever anti labor sentiment they wanna have Kirk spew while saying “but he has a cute dog!”

And you’ll get everyone in the SEC making the playoff, while ESPN picks apart the ACC & BIG12 for whatever brands they want

This absolutely sucks. 24 team playoff is awful and yes I know this was the Big 10’s idea at first

[u/Tarmacked → u/EastonMetsGuy]

Is this the part where Big Ten flairs go full Stockholm syndrome and insist Fox is a good guy

[u/ForBirmingham205]

Who collects the checks from ESPN? Where does it go too? Is it distributed?

Is ESPN cutting the check or is ABC cutting the check?

[u/graviton_ghost → u/ForBirmingham205]

The CFP committee is getting a fat check

[u/ForBirmingham205 → u/graviton_ghost]

Is it distributed to the conferences?

[u/ManiacalComet40 → u/ForBirmingham205]

Mostly

[u/OrangeJuliusCaesr → u/ForBirmingham205]

They’re the same company

[u/Jbob9954]

ESPN also pushing to cap NIL. Disney just undefeated in being evil lol

[u/royalbluehen → u/Jbob9954]

Makes me happy I pirate all my games

[u/ToeLimbaugh → u/royalbluehen]

G6 fans: copy this guy

[u/Gusanito99 → u/ToeLimbaugh]

Already on it boss 🫡

[u/rocket_beer]

You are literally announcing collusion against the G6

[u/ToeLimbaugh → u/rocket_beer]

ESPN boycott, fellas

[u/hungrylahhhma]

So expect more than half of the SEC to make the field. Expect the SEC to be over ranked in pre-season like every single year. Expect the ESPN talking head shills to gas up the SEC and shit on the other conferences. Expect to hear about 1000x a season how "the SEC is a gauntlet week in and week out".

Corruption

[u/Downtown-Rice_]

And someone with a Kentucky flair said that ESPN has no role in the CFP and Selection Committee!

The CFP Selection Committee literally has a media member and Ivan Maisel worked for years and decades with...ESPN.

The CFP is a football invitational tournament that uses a playoff bracket to determine the winner.

[u/Fletch71011 → u/Downtown-Rice_]

I love how they framed it as the computers that were the problem with the BCS and not the fact that it only chose 2 teams in years where there were 3 or more undefeated teams so they could hand select the teams that make them the most money instead.

We never should have gotten rid of the computers.

[u/mktcrasher → u/Downtown-Rice_]

And that committee does not watch all the games and just takes into account box scores of ranked games, greatly influenced by the preseason poll. But people will say they start over with new rankings....if you believe that I have land off the coast of Florida to sell ya cause you are dumb as hell.

[u/Downtown-Rice_ → u/mktcrasher]

Yeah, poll interia is so real.

[u/Jonjon428]

Troy Aikman has got to be pissed

[u/Prestigious_Power350]

Money is the root of all evil, never forget kids

[u/No-Donkey-4117 → u/Prestigious_Power350]

Not money. Love of money. Money is just a tool. Putting money first is the problem.

[u/garygoblins]

That doesn't seem like nearly enough money

[u/Tricky-Anteater-3685]

hell yea guys, cheaper tickets for sure are coming!!

[u/ShowOff90]

Awesome. More yearly layoffs guaranteed.

[u/turdbugulars]

Who are they paying?!

[u/Specialist-Garbage94 → u/turdbugulars]

The about to go bankrupt NCAA.

[u/heleghir]

So 300m of that 345m is to pay off billable hours right?

[u/SirMellencamp]

I wonder what Fox was offering

[u/AnonThrowAway072023 → u/SirMellencamp]

We'll never know

Allegedly the whole push to 24 began with Fox. Because they are bowing out of the NFL and wanted high level CFB content for Dec & Jan.

[u/SirMellencamp → u/AnonThrowAway072023]

That 100% makes sense and I get ESPN not wanting Fox anywhere in that. Fox basically destroyed CBS for a decade by getting the NFL in the 90s

[u/HarambeTooSoon → u/SirMellencamp]

Watching NFL on Fox is painful. 

I hope they never step on the field ever again. 

[u/SirMellencamp → u/HarambeTooSoon]

It is the worst broadcast every Sunday. NBC SNF is the best.

[u/BananaBouquet → u/SirMellencamp]

Perhaps it’s because I grew up on watching the NFC on fox, but I much prefer it over CBS. I associate NFL on CBS with my 4pm Sunday nap

[u/SirMellencamp → u/BananaBouquet]

Yeah NFL on CBS is like the kindly grandfather of the networks. I have to watch Fox because of the Saints

[u/Scar_Killed_Mufasa → u/SirMellencamp]

CBS is the worst for CFB too, IMO.

I don’t know how to describe it but their broadcast doesn’t feel like CFB to me.

[u/BananaBouquet → u/Scar_Killed_Mufasa]

Yeah, absolutely nothing beats the old SEC on CBS. I guess that would make sense for a Big Ten school to feel that way though. I think CBS gets the 3rd or 4th best game each week.

[u/Scar_Killed_Mufasa → u/BananaBouquet]

I didn’t like CBS back then either.

I think a lot of it has to do with the broadcast team. They always feel so lethargic? Bland? Idk when you compare them to the leads of the other networks they just fall flat to me.

[u/Quake1028 → u/AnonThrowAway072023]

Wait FOX is losing the NFL? To who?

[u/EdselFordEdsel → u/SirMellencamp]

About $3.50

[u/Select_Excuse_150 → u/EdselFordEdsel]

I heard the guy who runs that network is that God Damn Lochness Monster!

[u/Tfsz0719 → u/EdselFordEdsel]

"It was about that time I realized that the Head of Sports Broadcasting at the FOX Network was an eight-story-tall crustacean from the Paleolithic era!"

[u/Kryzl_ → u/Tfsz0719]

And then that crustacean walked up to me and you know what he said?

I NEED ABOUT TREE FIDDY

[u/Playful-Strain-1982 → u/SirMellencamp]

Fox needs to afford to keep the Big Ten afloat after NBC and/or CBS pull out during the next negotiation, plus needing to afford $150M in new money for the full shares for Oregon and Washington. Fox is also the poorest and least-capitalized of all of the relevant partners.

[u/Hefty-Ambassador5661 → u/Playful-Strain-1982]

Tbh the next negotiation for B1G might shaft them unless NBC comes with half or a streamer like Amazon/Netflix/Apple jumps in. FOX doesn’t have deep pockets like Disney and I doubt Paramount/WBD combo can afford to bid on anything lol

[u/Playful-Strain-1982 → u/Hefty-Ambassador5661]

The Big Ten needs to find about $150M new dollars to pay for the full shares for Oregon and Washington, and that will almost necessarily require for both CBS and NBC to continue to offer at least the same $350M per year that they’re both giving the Big Ten now. That feels like it might be a tough ask.

[u/Hefty-Ambassador5661 → u/Playful-Strain-1982]

I bet CBS id ditching the next contract, the parent company skydance is in no capacity to offer anything lol with their massive amount of debt. And with nbc spinning off from Comcast I don’t know if nbcuniversal can afford it either

[u/NotJoshFreeman → u/SirMellencamp]

$1.50 and some envelopes.

[u/R-D-I- → u/SirMellencamp]

It never went to the open market… part of ESPN’s contract with the 12 team playoff was they get first chance at any expansion

[u/SirMellencamp → u/R-D-I-]

True, but Fox was wanting this. There must have been something there

[u/cutchemist42]

I wish CFB fans had the same amount of backbone as European soccer fans sid fighting off change.

[u/Huge-Internal6456 → u/cutchemist42]

Backbone so strong they’ve allowed takeovers of clubs by Saudis, American billionaires, and FIFA. What did they stop, the super league?  This is not that and is such a horrible comparison. But, hey, you’re welcome to show some backbone. Let us know how that works out for you lol

[u/FraggleRock_ → u/cutchemist42]

What does this mean?

[u/snowystormz]

and what is the expected profit?

[u/SirMellencamp → u/snowystormz]

There is no way to tell and it is likely a loss.

[u/LovesYankeesAndObama → u/snowystormz]

Can I introduce you to some $DIS filings?

[u/Signal_Tip_7428]

Oh so they got off dirt cheap and everyone just accepted it

[u/Ok-Soil-5133]

No network invests in college football like ESPN.

Has been that way for many years.

[u/BeaverBeliever77]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disney-plus-hulu-price-increase/

[u/smellmyfingerplz]

How many years to the 48 team playoff??

[u/MarwyntheMasterful → u/smellmyfingerplz]

2

[u/CountBleckwantedlove → u/smellmyfingerplz]

People act like it will just keep ballooning... It was always going to naturally land at 24. Why? Because we've valued the Top 25 in this sport for decades. It was only natural that we have a playoff, eventually, the has virtually the same number as the rankings we care so much about.

I'm like 99% certain it will never expand beyond 24.

[u/AlphaBravo95 → u/CountBleckwantedlove]

I agree but at the same time I feel like the 25 ranking is gonna be awkward now lol I think I’d rather be unranked then be told your the first team out haha.

[u/CountBleckwantedlove → u/AlphaBravo95]

Yeah that's the one awkward thing for sure. Maybe a play in game between the 25th and 24th team? Lol 

[u/LittleTension8765 → u/CountBleckwantedlove]

Wednesday night play-in game before the Saturday official first round

[u/sincewedidthedo]

That’s gonna be a big ramp-up in Pat McAfee yelling

[u/Dry-Membership3867]

Now how much will CW pay Disney to sub license games

[u/PunchNessie]

Guess who’s going to be laying for this?

[u/HortonHearsTheWho]

Glad I don’t pay for any of this

[u/LocalIndividual5945]

That seems like a great deal for ESPN

[u/Key_Spinach]

Yeah, but how much is ESPN making off of this?

[u/farmer15erf → u/Key_Spinach]

Paying 25% more for double the games am I reading this right?

[u/Happy_Background_879 → u/farmer15erf]

Not really double. Considering they lose the CCGs

[u/MarwyntheMasterful]

Pretty good deal

[u/ATGSunCoach]

We are going to get a lot of commercials

[u/knucklehead27]

$140 million they get back from not paying for conference championships. Net payment of $205 million

[u/Bu5hdid9l1]

12 more games got them 345M. Meanwhile the SEC Championship alone got them 100M. Tells me everything I need to know is about the quality of games they expect.

[u/emc23369187]

Honestly this seems low?

[u/Daytime-mechE]

Kind of weird...would've thought whatever governing body we have would have tried to go year by year with a bidding war for this but also who am I to argue with that level of money?

[u/ClevelandSteamers757]

Why play any games at all

[u/Dcook8188]

Ahhh more commercials incoming. And about to go to a skeleton crew for tv.

[u/UPMichigan83]

And I wonder why I pay a mint for sports television

[u/breakwater]

But hey, they ran a front page article on their website about how horrible this plan is. So all the bad kind of cancels out

[u/ThisGameIsBologna]

Did Fox, NBC, Amazon, etc get an option to compete for the rights?

Disneys monopoly over CFB is bad for the sport and bad for viewers.

[u/Lefunnymaymays4lief]

Said it when FSU got shafted, said it when these rumors of 24 started, said it after the rankings last year. Disney needs to be broken up. But it’ll never happen

[u/SpreaditOnnn33]

I thought one of the reasons the B10 was interested in expanding the playoff was that going past 12 invoked some clause that allowed other networks to bid on the games...what happened to that?

[u/AZFUNGUY85]

Step aside ncaa. Our new overlord is the mothership. Wholesome authentic overly commercialized and produced, college football.

[u/BudgetBuster7]

Why is the entire sport AGAIN putting all their eggs in the Disney basket?

[u/Jonathank92]

More layoffs are coming at the mouse 

[u/Otto_von_Grotto]

Games will be 5 hours long with all the added commercials! Oh, yippee!

[u/Weaubleau]

I'm just glad the CCGs are biting the dust 

[u/Fartenstein65]

I would love if the SEC Network was independent of ESPN.