President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at preserving the Army-Navy Game’s traditional standalone window on the second Saturday in December.
The order says the government’s policy is that no college football game, including College Football Playoff games or other postseason contests, should be broadcast in a way that directly conflicts with Army-Navy. It also directs the Secretary of Commerce and the FCC chairman to work with the CFP committee, the NCAA, and broadcast rights partners to establish an exclusive window for the game.
What to Know About the Army-Navy Executive Order
The order frames the Army-Navy Game as “America’s Game” and says the growing College Football Playoff calendar threatens to crowd out a date that has traditionally belonged to the rivalry. It instructs the Commerce Department and the FCC to coordinate with football leaders and media rights holders in hopes of keeping the game in an exclusive broadcast window. The order also says it should be carried out consistent with applicable law and “does not” create any enforceable right or benefit against the United States or any other party.
Even with the executive order in place, the White House language leaves plenty of room for legal and practical questions. The order is pushing for a protected window, but it is not a simple switch that instantly rewrites broadcast contracts or forces every network to rearrange its schedule.
A Possible Win for Paramount+
For cord cutters, the biggest name to watch here is Paramount+. First televised in 1945, and every year since, Army vs. Navy is one of college football’s oldest rivalries and has a much bigger cultural meaning than most regular-season games. CBS Sports has long been the broadcast home of Army-Navy, and a 2024 rights extension with the academies keeps the game on CBS and Paramount+ through 2038. That makes Paramount+ the clearest streaming winner if the Army-Navy Game keeps its protected national spotlight.
Big live sports are valuable for streamers because they still pull huge real-time audiences. Army-Navy is one of the rare college football games that feels like a national event instead of just another Saturday matchup. Known for its blend of sports, military pageantry, and national symbolism, a more protected time slot helps keep the game from being buried under playoff competition, which in turn helps CBS and Paramount+ maintain the event’s prestige and marketability.
The viewership numbers back up the popularity of the battle of the academies on the gridiron. In 2024, the Army-Navy Game drew a record 9.4 million viewers on CBS, breaking the previous mark of 8.45 million set in 1992. In 2025, the game still delivered a huge audience, averaging 7.84 million viewers and giving CBS its largest audience of the season. An exclusive window with this executive order would only strengthen it.
The Trump-Paramount story does not stop with Army-Navy. It is also unfolding against the backdrop of Paramount Skydance’s pending $111 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that has drawn political scrutiny because of perceived ties between Paramount leadership and President Trump. Reuters reported that DOJ antitrust chief Omeed Assefi said the merger review would be handled on competition grounds only and would not get special treatment, even as critics pointed to David Ellison’s family connection to Larry Ellison, a Trump ally, as a reason for concern.
Paramount is not just part of the Army-Navy broadcast conversation, but is also at the center of a much larger media-power story. Trump’s executive order adds a new layer of attention to America’s Game as the company navigates merger talks and regulatory approvals.