Auburn Athletics has finalized a 10-year multimedia rights extension with Playfly Sports, locking in their partnership through the 2034-35 academic year. The deal, valued at $120 million, strengthens their longstanding relationship and reflects a mutual commitment to advancing Auburn’s athletic brand.
According to the announcement, the renewed agreement will focus on “innovation, improved campus integration, and tailored income generation tactics” to propel Auburn Athletics forward over the next decade. Building on a foundation of sustained success, the extension marks a key milestone in collegiate sports, reaffirming Playfly Sports’ position as a top revenue-maximizing force in the industry.
Playfly Sports, Auburn Athletics Sign $120 Million Multimedia Pact
Auburn Athletics has officially extended its multimedia rights partnership with Playfly Sports in a 10-year agreement worth $120 million, running through the 2034-35 academic year.
The deal includes enhanced on-campus integration, an expanded Playfly team in Auburn, and the launch of a proprietary NIL initiative, Playfly Max.
Auburn Deputy AD for External Affairs Rhett Hobart emphasized the importance of Playfly’s NIL approach, calling Playfly Max “core” to the school’s future multimedia strategy.
“Their approach to name, image and likeness was critical to our decision to extend,” Hobart said. “We’ve explored a ton of options in this last calendar year… [Athletic Director John Cohen’s] core goal is making sure that our teams are at all times set up with every resource possible to compete for championships.”
The extension builds on an original agreement Auburn signed in 2016 with Fox College Sports Properties. Playfly acquired those rights after purchasing Fox’s assets in 2021.
Playfly Sports Properties President Christy Hedgpeth noted that the new structure was aimed at increasing strategic alignment.
“We realized our former agreement was not maximizing our alignment… This was kind of a profound leveling-up of the horse power of this collective revenue engine,” she said.
The deal includes additional staff focused solely on NIL opportunities. The Playfly Max program will help Auburn athletes secure legitimate NIL deals, creating a pathway to surpass future revenue share limits through compliant compensation.
WarEagle+, the school’s in-house content platform, will also partially transition to Playfly’s oversight. Hobart stressed the importance of partnering with an adaptable company during a volatile time in college athletics.
“We’re entering a world where the college athletics enterprise is about to change drastically,” he said. “A partner… who has a solid understanding of ways to help their schools have the best competitive opportunities, is really important.”
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The agreement, in discussion since August, was driven by Hobart, Cohen, and Executive Deputy AD Jared Benko on Auburn’s side, with Hedgpeth and Group VP David Shoemaker leading for Playfly.
“Auburn’s position in the new era of college athletics will be strengthened by this partnership,” Cohen said.
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