• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 19, 2025

What Does the Landmark NFL Sunday Ticket Verdict Mean for Fans?

  • A jury judgment has the NFL on the hook for $14 billion to fans and bars.
  • Subscribers could possibly receive a few thousand dollars each, but that could take years.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, a jury ordered the NFL to pay consumers and commercial establishments $4.7 billion for violating antitrust law with its Sunday Ticket streaming package. It’s a monumental loss for the NFL in court, one that will be tripled under federal antitrust law to more than $14 billion if higher courts uphold the verdict.

Millions of subscribers and tens of thousands of bars and restaurants stand to see a substantial payout from the settlement, and how the league makes out-of-market games available could change. But those payouts and overhauls are a long way from happening; a lot of court rulings have to go their way for consumers to actually see any of that money.

Here’s what you need to know if you’ve subscribed to Sunday Ticket.

Who qualifies for these payments?

The class action suit casts a very wide net. Any commercial or residential subscribers who had Sunday Ticket on DirecTV between June 17, 2011, and Feb. 7, 2023, are eligible. Subscribers had to actually pay for Sunday Ticket through DirecTV to get any money, so if you got it for free or through the NFLST.tv streaming service, I’m sorry to bear the bad news. This is according to the website dedicated to the lawsuit.

Anyone could opt out of the case if they wanted to keep their rights to sue the league about Sunday Ticket–related issues, but that deadline passed in October 2023. If you didn’t opt out by then, you’re automatically a member of the class.

When will subscribers get their money?

Even though a verdict has been delivered, the case will take a long time to reach its conclusion.

The league will file post-trial motions for the judge to hear on July 31. Judge Philip Gutierrez—who had earlier told the plaintiffs’ attorneys that they had overcomplicated the case—wasn’t required to send the case to a jury in the first place, and he has the power to overrule its decision.

If that doesn’t work, the NFL has already said it will appeal the case. The case would go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and could eventually make its way all the way to the Supreme Court if the two sides keep fighting. It could take years before the NFL actually has to pay up, because all damages are stayed until the appeals process ends.

How much money are we talking about?

If you’ve seen different numbers floating around the internet, that’s because no one truly knows what the payments will be.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys could take up to 40% of the total amount designated for subscribers, estimates the longtime attorney and football writer Mike Florio. The remaining money would mean that each of the 2.4 million residential class members could get an average of $3,450 apiece.


But will you get more money if you paid for Sunday Ticket for all 12 years the lawsuit covers? What about just one season? Again, nobody really knows. It will be up to the courts to review and approve the amount the attorneys take and how much trickles down to subscribers.

Is this the amount the plaintiffs wanted?

Nope.

The plaintiffs sought $7 billion in damages, which would then under federal antitrust laws get tripled to $21 billion. The jurors came up with their own model for what they felt plaintiffs deserved.

Is Sunday Ticket going to get less expensive?

Probably not anytime soon.

Any changes required by the NFL for the Sunday Ticket offering are stayed on appeal, which is court-speak to say the league wouldn’t have to make any adjustments required of it until the appeals process is over. While the lawsuit centers on the DirecTV era of Sunday Ticket—the suit began in 2015—the package is currently $349 annually on YouTube TV.

If the judge upholds the verdict, but before the appeals process, he could consider structural changes to Sunday Ticket, but those wouldn’t go into effect until after the appeals process. During the trial, it was revealed that the NFL declined an ESPN offer to make Sunday Ticket $70 per year with options for single-team subscriptions, as well as scrapped a proposal to do away with the offering altogether and put games on various cable channels.

So how likely is it that these payouts actually hit consumers?

It all depends on how the case does in court, or whether the NFL decides to settle with the plaintiffs’ attorneys out of court. They’ve so far been happy to contest it in the legal system, and this litigation has been working its way through the courts for nearly a decade. It’s not inconceivable that 2010s Sunday Ticket subscribers could get a check with a couple of thousand dollars from the NFL, but we’re a long way from that day.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) takes to the court on Jan. 22, 2025, ahead a game against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Unrivaled Makes NIL Splash During WNBA All-Star Weekend

The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league signed 14 college players to NIL deals.
Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick for the Athletics pick during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy.

Manfred Says MLB Had Wrong Approach to Creators Like Jomboy

“You gotta go where people are going,” the commissioner said.
(NCL_OSU_11_SUGAR_LAURON 04JAN11) Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) slips around the Arkansas Razorbacks defense during first half of the Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, January 4, 2011.

Terrelle Pryor’s Case for NIL Backpay Dismissed in Court

Pryor played seven years in the NFL after leaving OSU amid a scandal.

Featured Today

Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.

Golf’s Prize Money Boom Is Slowing Down

There is no purse increase at The Open Championship.
Feb 7, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Calais Campbell (middle) receives the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award from executive director Lloyd Howell (left) and president) JC Tretter (right) at the NFLPA Press Conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center prior to Super Bowl LVIII.
July 18, 2025

What Comes Next After NFLPA Chief’s Sudden Resignation?

Howell quit on his own accord; he was not forced out.
July 18, 2025

WNBA Stars Say Zero Progress Made at CBA Meeting

The WNBA and its union had their first in-person meeting Thursday.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 18, 2025

New NFLPA Head Will Face Multibillion-Dollar Decisions

The next NFLPA leader will wrestle with a series of pressing issues.
Lloyd Howell
July 18, 2025

Scandal-Ridden NFLPA Chief Lloyd Howell Quits

The union executive director stepped down late Thursday night.
July 17, 2025

Unrivaled Founder Says Growing League Has ‘No Conflict’ With WNBA

Alex Bazzell co-founded Unrivaled with Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
exclusive
July 17, 2025

WNBA, Union Make Little Progress on CBA at All-Star Meeting

Over 40 players showed up for labor negotiations with the league.