The Justice Department opened an investigation into the NFL over potential anticompetitive practices and harm to consumers as the league licenses more games to streaming networks.
The investigation, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as NFL fans and some lawmakers have raised concerns about the increasing cost to watch games as the league licenses more games to streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Peacock. While The Journal stated that the exact nature of the investigation wasn’t immediately clear, CBS News cited sources who told the outlet that the investigation was related to the NFL’s leap into streaming.
One anonymous government official told CBS News that the probe is focused on “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers.” The Daily Wire reached out to the Justice Department, seeking comment.
The NFL said on Thursday that its “media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry.”
“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 league office added. “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 grants antitrust exemptions to sports leagues, allowing them to package league-wide TV deals that protect revenue sharing and prevent small market teams from being forced to strike major TV deals. With sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA agreeing to move many live broadcasts behind the paywalls of streaming services, some critics argue that the practice could be running afoul of the 1961 law.
“The modern distribution environment differs substantially from the conditions that precipitated this exemption,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. “Instead of a small number of free broadcast networks, the NFL now licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and technology companies operating under different business models.”
Games remain free to watch on local stations in the markets of the teams playing, but the most ardent NFL fans watch multiple games a week of teams outside their local market. Many NFL fans have expressed frustration that the NFL’s agreements with multiple streaming platforms complicates viewing and makes it more expensive to watch the NFL.
During the 2025-2026 season, 20 games were available exclusively on streaming platforms, including two Christmas Day games that were streamed on Netflix. The league has signaled that even more games will move to streaming platforms in the near future, including playoff matchups. In a letter to the Justice Department last month, Senator Lee wrote, “To watch every NFL game during the past season, football fans spent almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions.”
The NFL’s streaming craze has shown no signs of slowing down, and the NFL is expected to push for more partnerships with digital platforms beginning in 2029, when the league has the ability to opt out of some of its current broadcast TV contracts.
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