The growth and popularity of the NFL have given rise to more access to on-demand streams for games. NFL Sunday Ticket is a sports package that broadcasts regular season games in exchange for fees. However, subscribers of the package could become eligible for a massive payout, given a developing lawsuit.
NFL in pending legal trouble with Sunday Ticket lawsuit
Over 2.4 million fans subscribed to NFL Sunday Ticket could be eligible to receive over $6 billion in damages, or roughly $2500 each, per Tyler Webb. The development is part of an antitrust case brought against the NFL and DirecTV in 2015.
The lawsuit alleges that “exclusive packaging of teams’ out-of-market rights in NFL Sunday Ticket violates U.S. antitrust law and creates artificially high prices,” Webb noted from Front Office Sports.
In other words, teams should be allowed to individually sell the rights to their out-of-market games to reduce the cost to their fans. This way, fans can simply pay to watch their favorite team instead of the entire league. This model is similar to what NBA and MLB teams use.
Starting June 5th, multiple league officials including Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, and Roger Goodell will testify in the case. Furthermore, the class action lawsuit includes roughly 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses, all of which have paid for NFL Sunday Ticket over the past nine years.
If the NFL is found to have violated antitrust laws, experts estimate damages could be as high as $6.1 billion, nearly $2500 per plaintiff. Moreover, this could set in motion the ability for teams to sell individual TV packages. These deals could be worth approximately $200 million per year.
In the end, the NFL may go ahead and settle the case to avoid going to trial, Webb explained. They took a similar route in 2022 when the league settled with the city of St. Louis to relocate the Rams to Los Angeles. The settlement amounted to $820 million.
It will be interesting to see how the NFL handles this developing lawsuit as it prepares for an exciting season.
Multiple NFL teams look to take jump during 2024-25 season
Nearly every NFL team has revamped their roster during the 2024 offseason. However, every club must defeat a common foe to achieve success.
The Kansas City Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five years after their 2024 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The assembly of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and the rest of KC’s stout contributors will be hard to stop. Nevertheless, there are plenty of teams both in and out of the AFC who resist them.
San Francisco was just points away from winning the ultimate prize in 2024. They boasted two MVP candidates during the 2023-24 season in Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy. The two offensive superstars look to return strongly to help SF remain atop the NFC.
On the other side, the Baltimore Ravens want to take the Chiefs’ throne after losing in the 2024 AFC Championship. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson received a big offensive upgrade in former Tennessee Titans running back Derek Henry after he joined the team during the free agency period.
Countless other talented teams have added pieces from the NFL Draft and returned talent to stay competitive. All in all, he 2024-25 season should be one of the most entertaining in league history.
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