President Donald Trump says that he plans to sign an executive order giving an exclusive four-hour broadcast television window to the annual Army-Navy football game, citing concerns of encroachment from the nascent College Football Playoff system.
“The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor! This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games, and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. “Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy! I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4 hour Broadcast window, so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!”
The order, if allowed to go into effect, would be a blow to Disney’s ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT. ESPN has the exclusive rights to the College Football Playoffs through 2031-2032, and has been sublicensing some games to TNT.
It would be a boon, however, to David Ellison’s Paramount, which has the rights to the Army-Navy game on CBS through 2038. CBS has been the exclusive TV home of the game (it also streams on Paramount+) since 1996.
It is not clear what the executive order will say, or what legal mechanism there is to enforce an exclusive broadcast window. FCC chairman Brendan Carr reposted Trump on Sunday, which is suggestive of the order being directed at his agency, which regulates broadcast TV stations.
Trump continued, “On the field, they are rivals, but on the battlefield they are America’s unstoppable Patriots, defending our Country with tremendous Strength and Heart. We must protect the Tradition, and the Players, who protect us. Please let this serve as Notice to ALL Television Networks, Stations, and Outlets. God Bless America, and God Bless our great Army-Navy Game!!!”
The Army-Navy Game is played every December between the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and has long had its own TV window given the timing after the conference championships.
However, the College Football Playoff is expanding to include more teams, and with limited broadcast windows, it became clear that the exclusive window was being threatened by the new schedule.
As Sports Business Journal reported last year, the CBS rights deal accounts for more than 30 percent of the athletic budgets of West Point and the Naval Academy, and losing the exclusive window would be a major blow to the game, which garners millions of viewers each year.
