Fri, April 10, 2026
Justice Department investigating NFL over alleged anticompetitive practices
The Justice Department is investigating the National Football League (NFL) over alleged anticompetitive practices. This concerns “affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers,” according to a government official as reported by AP News.
This comes in the wake of increasing scrutiny over the amount of money fans must pay to watch sports on television, as live sport is increasingly switching from broadcast channels to streaming services. However, the NFL has stated that over 87 percent of its games are available on broadcast television and that fans can always watch their local team’s games on regular TV.
Specifically, it stated: “The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry. The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans.”
However, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antirust, Mike Lee, has urged The Justice Department to investigate whether the league is in line with the Sports Broadcasting Act.
He stated: “The modern distribution environment differs substantially from the conditions that precipitated this exemption. Instead of a small number of free broadcast networks, the NFL now licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and technology companies operating under different business models...
To the extent collectively licensed game packages are placed behind subscription paywalls, these arrangements may no longer align with the statutory concept of sponsored telecasting or the consumer-access rationale underlying the antitrust exemption.”
According to Lee and Forbes, football fans spend almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions.
In 2024, a jury in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ruled that the NFL violated antitrust laws through its out-of-market Sunday afternoon games which required a premium subscription service and awarded $4.7 billion in damages.
However, the verdict was overturned because the testimonies of two witnesses were unreliable. The NFL could have been liable for $14,121,779,833.92 if this was not overturned, according to AP News.
