The NFL’s TV contracts also include various deals with pay TV and streaming providers in the USA. The US Department of Justice now wants to take a closer look at the situation.

Is the NFL facing trouble in the USA due to the structure of its numerous TV contracts? As reported by “ABC”, the United States Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the league to determine whether the NFL has violated competition law with its television contracts.

The main reason for this is the contracts with pay-TV and streaming providers, for which fans in the USA have to pay extra money to watch all games live. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news, writing that the “nature and scope” of the Justice Department’s investigation is unknown.

The NFL has an antitrust exemption for negotiating its television contracts under the Sports Broadcast Act of 1961, but this only applies to free-to-air television. Courts have ruled in the past that it does not apply to other media, including cable, satellite and streaming.

In the US, the NFL currently has contracts with ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Prime Video and Netflix. In addition, some foreign games can be seen exclusively on the NFL Network. However, all games of a particular team are always broadcast free of charge within their own market.

NFL emphasizes fan-friendliness

In a statement, the NFL referred to the fan-friendliness of its TV contracts. “The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan- and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” the NFL wrote.

And further: “With over 87% of our games on free-to-air television, including 100% of games in participating teams’ markets, the NFL has put its fans at the center of its content distribution for decades. The 2025 season was our most-watched since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its broad availability to all fans.”

One of the biggest critics of the current NFL contracts is Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who is also Chairman of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights of the US Senate Judiciary Committee.

Lee wrote a letter to the Department of Justice in early March to review the current situation. He pointed out that fans would have had to pay almost 1,000 dollars in subscription fees to watch the NFL in full. “Forbes” estimated the cost at 765 dollars to actually be able to watch every game.

Is the NFL abusing its special status?

Referring to the 1961 exemption, Lee explained on “X”: “Today’s distribution landscape is vastly different from the conditions that led to that exemption.”

Instead of a “small number of free television stations”, the NFL is now awarding licenses for games “simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable channels and technology companies operating under different business models”, he emphasized.

Lee continued: “To the extent collectively licensed game packages are placed behind subscription paywalls, these arrangements may no longer comply with the statutory concept of sponsored television broadcasting or the consumer access rationale underlying the antitrust exemption.”