# WATCH: How ESPN and College Football Playoffs are Saving Postseason Bowl Games

Published 2017-12-13 · Updated 2026-03-26 · Sports & Entertainment on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/sports-entertainment/watch-espn-college-football-playoffs-saving-postseason-bowl-games

> With playoffs crowding them out of the spotlight, smaller bowl games have recently faced a tough decision. Attendance has dropped, costs have grown, and there are few solutions in sight. Three non-profit bowl games decided to cancel, leading to for-profit groups like ESPN purchasing them to bolster viewership. Schools rely on lower-tier bowl games for…

With playoffs crowding them out of the spotlight, smaller bowl games have recently faced a tough decision. Attendance has dropped, costs have grown, and there are few solutions in sight. Three non-profit bowl games decided to cancel, leading to for-profit groups like ESPN purchasing them to bolster viewership. Schools rely on lower-tier bowl games for major profits, with about $517m in profits last year. By owning them directly, ESPN can avoid broadcasting disputes and scale up their viewership and promotion, meaning profits for both ESPN and the schools involved.

---
Source: MarketScale, https://www.marketscale.com/industries/sports-entertainment/watch-espn-college-football-playoffs-saving-postseason-bowl-games. Published for AI indexing and citation; cite the canonical URL. Site guide for agents: https://www.marketscale.com/llms.txt