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FILE - The national championship trophy is seen before a new conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Clemson and Alabama, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The College Football Playoff announced Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, it will expand to a 12-team event, starting in 2024, finally completing an 18-month process that was fraught with delays and disagreements.The announcement comes a day after the Rose Bowl agreed to amend its contract for the 2024 and '25 seasons, the last hurdle CFP officials needed cleared to triple the size of what is now a four-team format.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
EXPLAINER: How will College Football Playoff expansion work?

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 01, 2022 07:55 PM EST

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) leaps over New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Sports on TV joins turkey, parade as holiday traditions

By David Bauder Nov. 30, 2022 04:43 PM EST

FILE - David Neal, executive producer of Fox's FIFA World Cup soccer coverage from Qatar, mingles during a preview event Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, in New York. Fox Sports executive producer David Neal first heard in 2015 that the World Cup was moving to near the holiday season and he thought it would be the biggest lump of coal for the network and soccer supporters. But Neal and others have discovered that the world’s biggest soccer tournament could be the ultimate gift for Fox, Telemundo and sports fans. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Fox, Telemundo see advantages to late fall World Cup

By Joe Reedy Nov. 16, 2022 04:17 AM EST

Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed (16) throws a pass against Middle Tennessee State during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Grace Ramey/Daily News via AP)
New C-USA TV deal to shift October games to weeknights

Ralph D. Russo Nov. 10, 2022 02:28 PM EST

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) celebrates with safety Adrian Amos (31) after intercepting a ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Orchard Park. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Football, World Series most popular on television

Nov. 01, 2022 07:12 PM EDT

FILE -Incoming Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during a news conference opening the conference's football media days in Arlington, Texas, July 13, 2022. Yormark described recent discussions with television partners ESPN and Fox as “meaningful” as the conference looks into the possibility of striking a media rights deal almost two years before the current contract expires. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
AP sources: Big 12 agrees to 6-year extension with ESPN, Fox

By Ralph D. Russo Oct. 30, 2022 11:14 AM EDT

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) tries to pull in an incomplete pass in the endzone during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Nielsen, Amazon Prime spar over who really watches football

By David Bauder Oct. 25, 2022 01:17 PM EDT

Baltimore Ravens' Patrick Queen, top, is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Mixon, bottom, after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Football, dramas lead Nielsen's weekly top 20 list

Oct. 11, 2022 07:20 PM EDT

FILE - The national championship trophy is seen before a new conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Clemson and Alabama, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff voted Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to expand the postseason model for determining a national champion from four to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Venues, dates, TV, NFL: How to assemble CFP expansion puzzle

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 20, 2022 12:09 PM EDT

FILE - Robert "Bojo" Ackah, center, and Fik-Shun, left, perform during the announcement of the first Thursday Night Football on Prime Video matchup featuring the San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs at the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 28, 2022 in Las Vegas. The Thursday night, Sept. 15 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs kicks off Amazon Prime Video's 11-year agreement with the NFL to carry “Thursday Night Football". (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis, File)
NFL on Prime Video latest foray by leagues into streaming

By Joe Reedy Sep. 14, 2022 09:34 PM EDT

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) gives chase as Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball for a long gain in the second half of a NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Football's return dominates Nielsen television ratings

Sep. 13, 2022 06:50 PM EDT

FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. It could have been just one night, but Williams' exit from tennis turned into a boon for ESPN. Williams' third-round defeat at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic had the largest audience of any tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the 3.9 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Serena Williams' goodbye to U.S. Open a ratings boon to ESPN

By David Bauder Sep. 07, 2022 03:26 PM EDT

FILE - Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman holds a helmet while posing for a portrait with University president John I. Jenkins, left, and Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick during a news conference on Dec. 6, 2021, at the Irish Athletic Center in South Bend, Ind. Swarbrick told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, that the Fighting Irish's position is even stronger now than when he stepped into the job in 2008, bolstered by success on the football field and investments in the program. (Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune via AP, File)
Recent success secures Notre Dame's treasured independence

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 30, 2022 06:24 PM EDT

FILE - Texas A&M students celebrate with Texas A&M defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes (34) as they packed Kyle Field after upsetting Alabama 38-41 in an NCAA college football game on Oct. 9, 2021, in College Station, Texas. The “Beef Bowl,” which draws from comments Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher and Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban made about each other over concerns about NIL after Fisher brought in one of the top recruiting classes in history. (AP Photo/Sam Craft, File)
College media rights: What has happened and what's next?

By Joe Reedy Aug. 25, 2022 05:50 PM EDT

FILE - Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (19) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle (9) during the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Atlanta. Bowers was named to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Supreme Court paved way for shifting college TV landscape

By Joe Reedy Aug. 25, 2022 05:44 PM EDT

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days, at Lucas Oil Stadium, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
B1G deal: Big Ten lands $7 billion, NFL-style TV contracts

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 18, 2022 09:27 AM EDT

FILE - Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick attends an NCAA college basketball game between Notre Dame and Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 13, 2017, in South Bend, Ind. Swarbrick says the coming Big Ten television contract with NBC is a “perfect” way for the network to complement its deal with the Fighting Irish during a live online chat for the university's alumni association on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin, File)
Notre Dame AD: Big Ten deal with NBC 'perfect' for Irish

Aug. 10, 2022 03:58 PM EDT

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days, at Lucas Oil Stadium, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
AP sources: ESPN out of Big Ten TV rights negotiations

By Joe Reedy And Ralph D. Russo Aug. 09, 2022 12:05 PM EDT

FILE - UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., right, tries to get by Southern California forward Isaiah Mobley during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on March 5, 2022, in Los Angeles. UCLA and Southern California are planning to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference in a seismic change that could lead to another major realignment of college sports. A person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, June 30, 2022, on condition of anonymity because the schools' talks with the Big Ten have not been made public said the schools have taken steps to request an invitation to join the conference. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Pac-12 facing uncertain future after losses to Big Ten

By John Marshall Jul. 07, 2022 07:09 PM EDT

FILE - UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., right, tries to get by Southern California forward Isaiah Mobley during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on March 5, 2022, in Los Angeles. UCLA and Southern California are planning to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference in a seismic change that could lead to another major realignment of college sports. A person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, June 30, 2022, on condition of anonymity because the schools' talks with the Big Ten have not been made public said the schools have taken steps to request an invitation to join the conference. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Conference realignment makes another seismic shift

By John Marshall Jul. 01, 2022 07:00 PM EDT