A new college football playoff will likely result in a lengthy and lucrative television deal. In other news, NFL Network will launch a morning show next month, and NBC Sports Network will keep the Tour de France into the next decade.
- College Football Playoff Approved: A four-team college football playoff was formally approved Tuesday. Starting in the 2014-15 season, the four selected teams will play in two national semifinal games, and the winners will square off in the national championship game. Television rights for the new playoff system will be negotiated later this year, with ESPN holding an exclusive negotiating window before the rights hit the open market. A new deal would likely span at least a decade and cost significantly more than the $155 million/year ESPN is paying in the current BCS deal. (ESPN.com, Sporting News)
- NBCSN Keeps Tour de France: The Tour de France will remain on NBC Sports Network through 2023 under a new deal announced Tuesday. The agreement between NBC Sports Group and the Amaury Sport Organisation is a ten-year extension of the parties’ current five-year deal, which was signed when NBC Sports Network was still Versus. The agreement, which goes into effect in 2014, mandates that the NBC broadcast network televise live coverage of the Tour de France each year. (NBC Sports Group via Fang’s Bites)
- NFL Network to Debut Morning Show: NFL Network announced Monday that it will launch a new weekday morning show late next month. Titled ‘NFL AM,’ the new show will air from 6 AM ET to 10 AM starting July 30, with an encore presentation at 10 AM starting September 3. (NFL Communications)
