Fox is benching its standalone sports app on smart TVs. NFL fans have until the end of May 2026 to clear space. The network started alerting viewers on April 7.
Big screen fans must now migrate to the FOX One app. This all-in-one platform launched last summer. It offers features such as split-screen viewing and game recording.
In May, Fox will shutdown its Fox Sports App on TVs and connected devices and customers will need to use the Fox One service.
This shouldn’t change anything for streaming. Fox One can be used with a cable login.
— Manny Soloway (@sportsontvguy) April 8, 2026
Users need a cable login or a direct subscription to stay in the game. This tech shuffle happens as traditional broadcasters feel the squeeze from the NFL’s aggressive pivot toward streaming.
The league is chasing massive profits by moving games to Amazon, Peacock, and Netflix. This trend makes football expensive for the average fan who once watched every single snap free.
Networks like Fox and Sinclair are now complaining to the government. They fear local stations will vanish like old newspapers. The NFL is acting like a dominant, untouchable power.
Rupert Murdoch is even taking swings at the league’s broadcast antitrust exemption. He is questioning the leverage held by CommissionerRoger Goodell as rights fees continue to skyrocket for networks.
“Today, the NFL is the powerful giant, while the broadcasters are weak,” Murdoch said. “Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to take advantage of this dominance by renegotiating with the networks.”
A 1961 law allows the 32 teams to sell TV rights as one package. In exchange, the league promised to keep games on local channels for the general public.
Senator Mike Lee warns NFL could lose legal hall pass
The government deal was built on sponsored telecasts. That means free TV. Now, the NFL is hiding games behind subscription paywalls, which might violate the original spirit of the law.
The league finished broadcast deals in 2021 that run through 2033. Rights fees doubled during that cycle. CBS is currently paying roughly $3 billion annually just to carry Sunday afternoon games.
"NFL Is The Powerful Giant": Rupert Murdoch Takes Aim at Roger Goodell as Fox Axes Sports App
Feb 6, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Alex Curry on the Ladies of Fox Sports Radio show set at the Super Bowl LX media center at the Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“The NFL now licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and technology companies,” Lee said. This shift puts the league’s special legal protections at major risk.
If the feds pull the antitrust exemption, only the richest teams might survive. The league is gambling its 60-year legal shield for a quick payday from tech giants and streamers.