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The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into the NFL over possible anticompetitive practices, according to a government official. Speaking anonymously on Thursday, the official said the probe focuses on affordability for consumers and ensuring fair competition among service providers.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the investigation.
Two other sources familiar with the matter, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the NFL has not been formally notified of any investigation.
This inquiry comes as federal agencies increasingly scrutinize the rising costs fans pay to watch live sports on television. The Federal Communications Commission is currently soliciting public input on how live sports are shifting from traditional broadcast channels to streaming platforms.
In response, the NFL stated that more than 87 per cent of its games are available on broadcast TV, including all local team games. “The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” the league said Thursday. It added that the 2025 season was its most viewed since 1989, underscoring the reach and appeal of its media strategy.
Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah and chair of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy, and consumer rights, wrote to the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission on March 3. He urged them to examine whether the NFL’s distribution practices comply with the Sports Broadcasting Act. This law grants limited antitrust immunity to allow teams to collectively license game broadcasts to national networks.
Lee pointed out that the current media landscape is very different from when the exemption was created. He noted that unlike the earlier days of a few free broadcast networks, the NFL now sells games to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and tech companies with diverse business models. He warned that placing collectively licensed game packages behind paywalls may not align with the original intent of the exemption, which was to promote consumer access.
The senator highlighted soaring costs for fans, estimating that football enthusiasts spent nearly $1,000 US on cable and streaming subscriptions last season. Forbes put the price to watch every NFL game via streaming at $765.
The NFL’s broadcasts last season aired across a wide range of outlets including CBS, NBC, ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube TV.
The league rakes in nearly $11 billion per season from media rights deals, with potential for growth after Paramount’s sale to Skydance Media, which could lead to renegotiation of NFL’s CBS contract.
Most current rights deals run through 2033, with ESPN’s extending to 2034. However, the NFL has an opt-out clause after the 2029 season and is expected to exercise it, given that 83 of the top 100 broadcasts last year were NFL games, according to Nielsen ratings.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 only applies to broadcast TV. Courts have ruled it does not cover cable, satellite, or streaming platforms. The act also allows local game blackouts for out-of-market packages, which still exist, although the NFL ended local TV blackouts for in-market games after the 2014 season.
Last year, the House Judiciary Committee requested briefings from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB regarding whether antitrust exemptions should continue for coordinating broadcast rights.
All four major North American pro leagues now have deals with streaming services.
In 2024, a U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles found the NFL violated antitrust laws by distributing out-of-market Sunday games on a premium subscription service, awarding $4.7 billion in damages. However, a federal judge later overturned the verdict due to flawed testimony from two subscriber witnesses.
The class-action lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who purchased the “Sunday Ticket” package on DirecTV between 2011 and 2022. Under federal antitrust laws, damages could have been tripled, potentially costing the NFL more than $14 billion.