Streaming platforms are in an ongoing battle for viewers, which is great news for us viewers—we get more options, more titles to explore, and more events to enjoy. However, a potential hiccup arises when fans of specific sports events subscribe to a particular streaming service solely for a specific event. Switching to a different service that broadcasts the event might pose a problem, as users would have to pay and subscribe to yet another platform.
In 2026, the College Football Playoff series is expanding from a four-team slate to a twelve-team slate . The rights to these additional eight games are up for grabs, with various broadcasters, including Fox, Amazon, NBC, and Apple, entering the conversation. ESPN will continue to stream the two semifinal games and the championship Monday night game, at least in 2026. The future of the rights post-ESPN's contract expiration remains unclear, but whoever clinches the College Football Playoff contract for 2026 might have a strong position for all future rights.
If Apple secures the rights to College Football Playoff games, it could dominate a significant portion of the American Football conversation throughout the winter, leading up to the NFL Super Bowl. But still, let’s not forget that 2026 is quite a distance away, and these preliminary talks may not materialize into something more concrete for Apple.