The College Football Playoff (CFP), ESPN, and TNT Sports have unveiled the full broadcast schedule for the 2025 CFP First Round, which will mark the second year of the expanded 12-team Playoff format.
ESPN, the exclusive home of the CFP since its debut in 2015, enters the second year of its current rights package that includes every Playoff game. As part of that agreement, two of the four first-round contests will again be sublicensed to TNT Sports, continuing a partnership that broadens the postseason’s reach across multiple platforms.
The 2025-26 College Football Playoff will officially kick off Friday, December 19, with an opening matchup airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. The action continues Saturday, December 20, with a tripleheader beginning at noon ET on ABC and ESPN. TNT will then take over for two games at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET.
Fans will have several streaming options as well. Games on ESPN networks will be available through the ESPN App. While TNT and truTV broadcasts will stream on HBO Max. Each of the four first-round games will be played on campus sites yet to be determined. Those locations will be announced on Selection Day, Sunday, December 7.
In April, ESPN confirmed it will carry every Playoff Quarterfinal, both Semifinals, and the 2026 CFP National Championship. Which is set for Monday, January 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The national title game returns to Miami for the first time since 2021. Marking the second straight season the event revisits a previous host city. Atlanta, which hosted in 2018, will stage the 2025 championship matchup.
“We are pleased to work with both ESPN and TNT Sports to deliver these first-round games to fans across the country in premier viewing windows,” said CFP Executive Director Rich Clark. “We also appreciate the collaboration with the National Football League in coordinating schedules to best serve fans of both college and professional football. This reflects the growing reach and excitement surrounding the new Playoff format.”
Last season’s inaugural 12-team Playoff produced strong viewership results. The first-round games averaged 10.6 million viewers across ESPN and TNT Sports. While the quarterfinals saw multi-year highs across multiple bowl matchups.
The CFP Semifinals included the most-watched Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on record with 20.6 million viewers. Plus the second-most-watched Capital One Orange Bowl in nearly two decades, drawing 17.8 million.
The 2025 CFP National Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame capped the season with 22.1 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year and peaking at 26.1 million.
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