The DOJ Is Investigating the NFL Over Game Streaming and Robert Kraft Already Knew This Was Coming
Here's what just happened: the Department of Justice opened an official investigation into whether the NFL violated antitrust law by forcing fans to pay subscription costs to watch games on streaming platforms. And if you've been paying attention, you know this wasn't some surprise blindside. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft basically called this shot months ago.
The government is coming for the league's media strategy, and honestly, it's about time somebody did.
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Think about what's happened to watching football over the last five years. You used to cut the cord to save money. Now you're paying $935 a year across ten different streaming platforms just to catch every game. Cable subscriptions have collapsed from 88% of American households to roughly 42% in about 15 years. The NFL didn't make the product better. It made it fragmented. Each platform charges its own toll. Each one has its own paywall. And 75% of American households are expected to drop traditional TV subscriptions by the end of this year.
The value went to the platforms, not the viewers. A football fan paying $935 annually is watching the exact same sport they used to watch for $20 a month.
Washington Is Getting Involved
The Justice Department confirmed to ABC News that they're investigating anticompetitive practices in how the NFL negotiates its television contracts. "This is about affordability and creating an even playing field for providers," a government official told ABC News.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Pat Ryan sent a letter to the FCC demanding answers on media consolidation driving up costs for consumers. But here's the thing that matters for the league: the NFL's antitrust exemption, granted under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, only applies to broadcast television. Courts have already ruled it does not apply to cable, satellite, or streaming.
The NFL averages nearly $11 billion per season in revenue from media deals. When the league's opt-out clause kicks in after 2029, they'll have some serious explaining to do.
Kraft saw this coming. The rest of the league is just now catching up.
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