ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The National Football League has responded to numerous media reports that federal officials have opened an investigation into whether the league has engaged in anticompetitive broadcasting tactics that harm consumers.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the U.S. Justice Department has begun the probe. Multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, Pro Football Talk, USA Today and others have followed up with their own accounting, based on The Wall Street Journal’s original report.
“The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” the NFL said in a statement to Atlanta News First. “With over 87% of our games on free, broadcast television, including 100% of games in the markets of the competing teams, the NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content.
“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.”
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 gives pro sports leagues a limited antitrust exemption to pool and sell teams’ TV broadcast rights collectively through league-wide deals, rather than each team negotiating alone.
A 1957 U.S. Supreme Court case, Radovich v. National Football League, ruled pro football is subject to federal antitrust laws and does not share baseball’s unique antitrust exemption.
Former player Bill Radovich alleged the NFL blacklisted him for playing in a rival league, hurting his ability to get work. At issue was the question of whether the NFL could claim the same antitrust immunity the Court had previously recognized for organized baseball.
Ultimately, the court refused to extend baseball’s exemption to football, meaning Radovich’s antitrust claims could proceed.
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