The House Judiciary Committee blasted the NFL for abusing its 1960s-era antitrust exemption – urging it to revamp its media model and make it easier for football fans to watch their favorite teams, according to a scathing new report released Monday.
The powerful congressional panel warned the NFL could face substantial legal scrutiny and antitrust challenges around its broadcast rights deals, calling the model “a house of cards built on an overstretched antitrust exemption,” according to a copy of the heated missive obtained by The Post.
The committee and its chairman Jim Jordan argued that the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 was created to keep games widely available on television and “stave off the league’s impending financial collapse” – but instead it has become a tool to hide more games behind streaming paywalls.
“Today, for consumers to watch broadcast NFL games, they must navigate a complicated and expensive web of television agreements and rules,” the report said – adding that some fans cough up more than $600 to watch their favorite team over an entire season.
Fox News earlier reported on the document.
It specifically took aim at the Sunday Ticket, a $480 sports package that the NFL markets as a special product for the avid football fan who wants to watch as many games as possible.
But the Judiciary Committee claimed over 70% of former Sunday Ticket subscribers said they bought the TV package to “watch my favorite team, which is out of market” – and when asked why they canceled, a whopping 70% said it was because the product was too expensive.
It also referenced evidence from an ongoing Sunday Ticket antitrust case, in which a 2024 jury verdict found the NFL violated antitrust law and awarded nearly $5 billion in damages to plaintiffs. The verdict was overturned by a judge.
ESPN had allegedly suggested a Sunday Ticket package priced at just $70 a head, as well as a purchase option that would allow fans to select just certain teams – but the NFL rejected these proposals, leaving fans with fewer choices and inflated prices, according to the report.
The committee also bashed the NFL’s argument that it is consumer-friendly because 87% of its games have “primary distribution” on broadcast television, and 100% of its “local market games” air in their respective regions.
“The NFL’s claim that 87 percent of games have ‘primary distribution’ on broadcast television actually means that 87 percent of games are on a broadcast station somewhere in the country,” the report said.
“In fact, significantly less than half of the games are actually available to a consumer on broadcast television, depending on the week and geographic area.”
In the meantime, the league’s pricey media rights deals have handed teams over 100 times greater payouts than they received in 1961, even after being adjusted for inflation, according to the report.
The NFL did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
If the Sports Broadcasting Act was struck down, the NFL would no longer be able to bundle games in sales to broadcasters and streaming partners – meaning some teams would get much bigger deals than others, dooming its revenue-sharing model.
In April, the Department of Justice launched a bombshell antitrust investigation into the NFL amid outcry that it has become too pricey and complicated for sports fans to watch their favorite teams.
In February, the Federal Communications Commission asked the public for comment on how the shift from traditional broadcasts to streamers has impacted sports fans — a potential first step before a more serious probe.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr previously told The Post that the NFL could lose its exemptions if it sticks too many live games behind paywalls.
To watch all of the top games in 2025, football fanatics needed to shell out monthly fees for Amazon Prime, Netflix, ESPN+ and Peacock – on top of what they’d normally pay for cable.
And for the past two years, the NFL has exclusively moved playoff games onto streamers.
The NFL has argued that streamers have largely begun to replace broadcasters as consumers’ go-to way to watch content, and that they need to meet viewers where they are.
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