Fox/News Corp. Chair Emeritus Rupert Murdoch in February “warned” President Trump that if streamers gained rights to more NFL games, it “would kill broadcast networks,” according to a source cited by Mattioli, Dawsey, Beaton & Flint of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The source said that Trump “listened to the concerns” during a dinner at the White House and “asked questions about the business.” It “was a bold play call, even for a media titan known for making them.” Fox’s fear of losing NFL games “created a highly unusual situation where Murdoch was seeking to stir up trouble for a partner it pays billions, fraying a relationship that has lasted for decades.” Mattioli, Dawsey, Beaton & Flint wrote the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act “could embolden broadcasters to hold their ground when the NFL comes knocking” for rights renewals. They noted Murdoch’s gambit “underscores the stakes not only for Fox but also for other major media players.” But the NFL has “launched a political blitz of its own.” Sources said that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “spoke to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in April” and “expressed concerns over the new investigation” and said that the league “was happy to show that its media model is the fairest among major sports leagues.” Critics say that the league “is using an antitrust exemption made to benefit public broadcasters” to “negotiate lucrative streaming deals.” The broadcast networks are “also frustrated because even as NFL games get spread out among more outlets, their price tag keeps going up” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/7).