The SEC on CBS has an expiration date.

CBS owns the rights until 2023 but officially pulled out of the running to extend those rights for the most desired college sports television package. CBS made an aggressive bid in the neighborhood of $300 million annually, a massive increase from the current $55 million per year it pays, but it became clear it wasn’t going to be enough as Disney/ESPN pushed hard to bring all of the SEC football rights under its umbrella.

“We made a strong and responsible bid,” CBS Sports said in a statement provided to AL.com. “While we’ve had success with the SEC on CBS, we are instead choosing to aggressively focus on other important strategic priorities moving forward.”

Sports Business Journal first reported the news that CBS was walking away from the negotiations and ABC/ESPN was the expected winner of the rights. CBS made it clear to SEC officials it wanted to get a deal done before the end of 2019, according to AL.com sources, as it wanted to secure the rights before what is expected to be an aggressive bidding war for its NFL package which expires in 2022. CBS has recently been active in spending on sports TV rights, adding UEFA Champions League rights, keeping its PGA Tour package and making a substantial bid to keep the SEC.

AL.com reported in November that Disney/ESPN was expected to be CBS’ biggest competition and landing the lucrative SEC TV rights was a major priority. ESPN was already heavily invested in the SEC with the SEC Network but really wanted to add the SEC Championship and the scheduling flexibility that comes with owning all of the rights. Disney/ESPN pitched it could help the SEC if it had all its rights and better maximize exposure if it didn’t have to deal with CBS’ 3:30 EST game window. AL.com also first reported that CAA agent Nick Khan, who along with Alan Gold had been hired to guide the SEC through the negotiations, advised SEC leaders of the advantages of aligning closer with a growing Disney company that is excelling with its over the top platforms (ESPN+ and Disney+) and has the money to make big purchases.

SBJ reported that Disney/ESPN is expected to pay at least six times more than the current fees which would put it at $330 million and lead to an extra $22 million per year per school. One TV insider told AL.com it could actually easily end up being $400 million or more when all is said and done.

Letting CBS walk away from negotiations marks a significant departure in strategy from the SEC. The league willingly accepted less than it could have gotten the last time these rights were up in order to stay with CBS because then-commissioner Mike Slive liked the national platform the network gave the SEC. The $55 million per year was a steal for CBS but the partnership was certainly mutually beneficial as it helped the league build its brand and led to massive television ratings.

There was a feeling around the TV industry that Slive’s successor, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, might keep a similar arrangement to give the SEC multiple national platforms in CBS and ABC/ESPN. In an interview with AL.com last month, Sankey stated he was taking a long-term view and mentioned presentation, level of exposure and revenue as factors when weighing the SEC’s options. FOX had also expressed serious interest in the rights if the SEC wanted a different two company arrangement.

Instead, SEC now appears ready to go all-in with a single media conglomerate.

John Talty is the SEC Insider for Alabama Media Group. You can follow him on Twitter @JTalty.