(Reuters) – TNT network Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:) has signed a five-year deal with Walt Disney-owned ESPN to broadcast select College Football Playoff games beginning with the upcoming college football season.
Walt Disney (NYSE:) said Wednesday that TNT will host two rounds of games over two years, including two quarterfinals, through the 2028 season.
TNT will broadcast sublicensed College Football Playoff games on additional TNT Sports distribution platforms, Disney said.
The announcement comes at a time when TNT faces losing media rights to the National Basketball Association, which it began broadcasting in 1984. Earlier this month, CEO David Zaslav said the company is “hopeful” it will reach an agreement with the NBA to preserve the league. on Max and TNT.
The NBA rights are seen as central to Warner Bros Discovery’s efforts to drive growth in its streaming business and retain cable customers.
Comcast’s (NASDAQ:) NBCUniversal plans to pay an average of about $2.5 billion a year to broadcast its NBA package, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
Moreover, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox Corp are set to launch their sports streaming service Venu Sports this fall in an effort to attract younger audiences.