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DOJ probes NFL complete streaming deals arsenic antitrust exemption draws scrutiny
The Justice Department is probing nan NFL's exclusive streaming deals amidst instrumentality vexation complete fragmented and paid access. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr questions if nan convention should clasp its typical antitrust exemption, initially established by nan 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act. Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley suggests Congress analyse nan NFL's monopoly structure, highlighting their $25 cardinal yearly gross and rising instrumentality costs.
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Streaming elephantine Netflix’s push into unrecorded sports has ranged from nan WWE and Formula 1 to prime MLB and NFL games.
While nan inaugural has drawn immoderate criticism, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said nan strategy is not aimed astatine securing full-season authorities packages for immoderate sports league."
"We’re not bidding connected full play of sports, including nan NFL," Sarandos told Fox Business Network's "Mornings pinch Maria" connected Tuesday. So far, Sarandos' comments person held existent pinch Netflix prioritizing marquee events, including Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and nan New York Yankees' opening-day shutout of nan San Fransisco Giants.
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The Netflix logo is displayed connected a building successful nan Hollywood vicinity of Los Angeles, California, connected Dec. 2, 2025. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
Sarandos holding a patient statement connected nan company's stance comes amid ongoing federal scrutiny into NFL, and much broadly, nan inclination of sports authorities increasing much fragmented. Some person based on nan inclination makes its astir costly and yet difficult for fans to position games.
NFL FACES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROBE AFTER FANS EXPRESS FRUSTRATION WITH STREAMING PIVOT: REPORT
However, federal scrutiny into sports fragmentation has brought nan taxable of unrecorded sports connected streaming services to nan forefront.
"Remember, astir folks are paying for tv done pay-television packages that are overmuch much costly than Netflix," Sarandos said, suggesting that contempt being technically free, broadcast networks are astir often bundled wrong paid services.
Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, speaks during nan Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth groundbreaking successful Eatontown, New Jersey, connected May 13, 2025. (Tanya Breen/Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
As of May, Netflix’s introductory ad-supported tier starts astatine $8.99 per month. The modular scheme originates astatine $19.99 per month, while nan premium tier starts astatine $26.99 per month. Prices tin summation if subscribers adhd further members. The basal scheme has been discontinued.
"As viewers move a small spot from linear much and much into streaming and on-demand, if nan games aren’t there, it seems benignant of ridiculous. You don’t tally successful nan other guidance of nan American consumer," Sarandos continued.
This fall, Netflix will erstwhile again person an exclusive model for a Christmas Day NFL doubleheader while expanding its wide footprint to 5 games during nan 2026 season. The league’s first-ever crippled successful Australia successful Week 1 will watercourse exclusively connected Netflix, while a Thanksgiving Eve matchup will besides beryllium included successful nan California-based company’s expanded NFL authorities package.
Netflix and NFL signage advertises nan NFL's 2 Christmas Day marquee games streaming unrecorded connected Netflix successful New Orleans, Louisiana, connected Dec. 1, 2024. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
"This is thing that is awesome for nan user because it gives an inexpensive, very affordable measurement to watch sports, and television, and movies, and kids programming, and podcasts, and play games. All those things for $8.99 is an astonishing proposition for consumers," Sarandos said, addressing regulatory scrutiny of sports streaming authorities and whether exemptions should use erstwhile non-linear platforms get a stock of a league’s inventory.
"It’s awesome for nan leagues that they person an progressive competitory guidelines of folks bidding for those games, truthful that’s valuable. I deliberation it’s an important portion to nan American occurrence communicative of nan economy, is that you tin thin into it and beryllium competitive, and you person to deliver."
Amid concerns that only a prime number of tech companies could upwind up controlling premium entertainment, Sarandos pushed back, arguing, Sarandos countered, arguing, "I’d opportunity group astir apt said nan aforesaid point erstwhile pay-television, which astir group are astir apt watching this show connected correct now, came successful and took nan spot of TV complete nan antenna. This is benignant of a earthy improvement of exertion and user demand."
A Fox News poll in March indicated that 72% of sports fans deliberation awesome sporting events should enactment free connected broadcast TV, amid reports that nan NFL is considering allowing teams to waste nan authorities to preseason games to streaming services.
NFL fans who want entree to each crippled request to acquisition YouTube TV for "NFL Sunday Ticket," successful summation to nan costly subscriptions for each nan streaming services nan NFL broadcasts on.
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Those streaming services are Amazon Prime, Peacock and Netflix. The operation of those respective services is complete $1,500 a year, and that doesn’t see nan fees that travel pinch basal cablegram packages aliases high-speed Wi-Fi that is needed to accommodate nan platforms.
Front Office Sports reported nan yearly NFL Honors ceremony, which takes spot successful nan days starring up to nan Super Bowl successful nan big city, is expected to move to Netflix opening successful February. The 2027 Super Bowl is scheduled to footwear disconnected connected Feb. 14 from SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood, California.
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Chantz Martin is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
