Overview
- Players Era and ESPN announced Thursday a multi-year, exclusive media-rights partnership alongside a confirmed 24-team format split into two tournaments this November.
- The Players Era Eight runs the week of Nov. 16 and the Players Era Sixteen takes place over Thanksgiving week, with detailed matchups, schedules and ticketing to be released later this month.
- ESPN will televise all 37 games across its networks as ESPN Events partners on staging and logistics for the Las Vegas-based championships.
- Organizers said average NIL (name, image and likeness) compensation will be slightly above $1 million per school in 2026, with some teams paid more, following prior reports of late payments to a few programs.
- The expanded event continues to reshape the early-season calendar by drawing marquee teams from long-standing tournaments, reinforced by the Big 12’s equity stake and eight allocated slots through 2030.