• Loading stock data...
Monday, November 11, 2024
DEADLINE EXTENDED: The Best Employers in Sports survey is now open through Nov. 13 Learn More
Law

Jury Rules NFL Owes More Than $4 Billion in Sunday Ticket Antitrust Case

  • The suit claimed the NFL violated antitrust laws with its Sunday Ticket offering.
  • The league said it will appeal the ruling.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

A jury in Los Angeles sided against the NFL on Thursday in the Sunday Ticket trial that could cost the league billions. The verdict was delivered in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.

The league has been ordered to pay $96 million to bars that said they were overcharged for Sunday Ticket, and $4.7 billion to fans who paid for the streaming package. Under federal antitrust law, those damages are tripled, bringing the total to more than $14 billion.

The league said in a statement that it will “certainly” appeal the verdict, calling the suit “baseless and without merit.” The case could eventually end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

“It’s a great verdict for the consumers of America,” the lawyer for the plaintiffs said after the verdict. The lawyer, Bill Carmody, said the jury successfully ignored “the star power of the defendants.” Along with commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL owners like Jerry Jones testified in the trial.

The lawsuit was initially filed in 2015 by a San Francisco sports bar called the Mucky Duck, which claimed the league violated antitrust law by bundling all the out-of-market games and making it impossible to buy a one-team package. The case was dismissed in ’17 but reinstated in ’19. It has since become a class action suit made up of millions of bars, restaurants, and subscribers from June 17, 2011, through Feb. 7, 2023. The plaintiffs initially sought $7 billion in damages, which could have been tripled to $21 billion per federal law.

One of the key claims of the suit is that the league inflates the price of NFL Sunday Ticket. Today on YouTube TV, the package costs $349 per year. It was revealed during the trial that the league declined an ESPN proposal to take over the offering last season and price it at $70, and include single-team packages. It also came to light that the league had drafted a proposal in 2017 to ax Sunday Ticket entirely and move games to a number of cable channels. NFL lawyers and officials, including Roger Goodell, have argued in response that Sunday Ticket is a “premium product” that wasn’t intended to end up in every living room.

The jury ruled Thursday that those decisions by the NFL violated federal antitrust law.

The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez, had said the plaintiffs have overcomplicated the case and threatened to dismiss it. He still has the power to throw out the jury verdict and rule for the NFL as a matter of law.

“The way you have tried this case is far from simple,” Gutierrez said to the plaintiff’s attorneys. “This case has turned into 25 hours of depositions and gobbledygook. … This case has gone in a direction it shouldn’t have gone.”

“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the league said in a statement. “We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution of our most popular games, supplemented by many additional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL+, is by far the most fan friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

How Schools Are Raising Money to Prep for House v. NCAA Settlement

Schools are hunting for money they may be sharing with athletes soon.

SMU’s Nine-Figure ACC Move Is Paying Off in Year 1

SMU paid its way into the ACC and is seeing immediate benefits.

Cowboys’ Struggles Could Lead the NFL to Flex Out America’s Team

The perennially popular team is facing a very different reality this season.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

Roger Goodell Wants MORE International Games

0:00

Featured Today

Former President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he exits the putting green with his aide Walt Nauta, left, during the final round of the LIV Golf Bedminster golf tournament at Trump National Bedminster on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023.
opinion

Trump Win Puts Sports Back in the White House

With Trump back in the White House, sports get more political again.
Members of the NY Giants run onto the field to start the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
November 8, 2024

The NFL Is Becoming the League With No Borders

Where will the NFL go next? International expansion will only get bigger.
November 5, 2024

NFL Center Connor McGovern Is the Heir to a Potato Empire

The NFL vet’s family provides potatoes for McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and others.
Vanderbilt Commodores fans head to the south end zone as the goal post is taken down by exuberant fans after beating No. 1 Alabama 40-35 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
opinion
November 2, 2024

Something New in College Football This Year: Parity

Upsets, surprises. CFB is more fun on the field than the NFL.

Michael Jordan’s Team Loses Bid for Temporary Injunction Against NASCAR

The teams can still compete, but will miss out on certain guarantees.
October 25, 2024

Everything You Need to Know About the Kawhi Leonard Lawsuit

A longtime trainer of Leonard’s is suing the Clippers for wrongful termination.
Brett Favre and Donald Trump
November 7, 2024

What Donald Trump’s Win Means for Welfare Probe, Brett Favre

Favre spoke at Trump’s rally last week in Green Bay, Wis.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward LeBron James (23) warm up before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.
October 24, 2024

LeBron and Bronny James Target of Lawsuit Over 2022 Car Crash

They made history Tuesday as the NBA’s first father-son teammates.
Apr 3, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium.
October 23, 2024

Former WWE ‘Ring Boys’ Allege Vince McMahon ‘Allowed’ Sexual Abuse

The suit claims the WWE and the McMahons “failed these boys.”
Former UFC fighter Cung Le
October 23, 2024

Judge Allows Reworked $375 Million Settlement for UFC Fighters to Move Forward 

Hundreds of fighters could start to see six-figure payouts next year.
Feb 9, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; A DraftKings countdown clock on radio row at the Super Bowl LVII media center at the Phoenix Convention Center.
October 22, 2024

DraftKings, Former Exec Talk Settlement in Marathon Legal Battle

The case revolves around the enforcement of a one-year non-compete agreement.