The next cycle of domestic rights for the US college American football playoff competition that will replace the season-ending Bowl Championship Series (BCS) from 2014 could be split between multiple broadcasters, as opposed to being sold again to current rights-holder ESPN, according to the USA Today newspaper.
Pay-television broadcaster ESPN is the current rights-holder of the BCS in a deal covering the 2011 to 2013. USA Today reports that an offer by ESPN for the rights for the new playoff format, made within an exclusive negotiating window that began on October 1, does not currently have support among US college sports conference commissioners. According to the SportsBusiness Journal, the offer is worth $7.3 billion (€5.65 billion), and covers 12 seasons, from 2014-15 to 2025-26.
The commissioners are meeting today to discuss the possibility of selling rights for the new four-team playoff competition in a four-year rights cycle, from 2014-15 to 2017-18.