Jury orders NFL to pay nearly $4.8 billion in 'Sunday Ticket' case for violating antitrust laws

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 6:29 PM EDT, June 27, 2024


LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury in U.S. District Court ordered the NFL to pay nearly $4.8 billion in damages Thursday after ruling that the league violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription service.

The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $96 million in damages to the commercial class. Since damages can be tripled under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could end up being liable for $14.39 billion.

The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV. The lawsuit claimed the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of Sunday games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.

The NFL said it would appeal the verdict. That appeal would go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and then possibly the Supreme Court. Should the NFL end up paying damages, it could cost each of the 32 teams approximately $449.6 million.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/nfl-sunday-ticket-lawsuit-18ffca984032308416c349138e54528b

[Doc_Technical]

1. Great!

After the layers get their cut,
I'll get about Tree Fiddy.

And the Loch Ness Monster ain't
gettin' anything.

[republianmushroom]

2. Wait until you see what the attorneys get for winning.

[OldBaldy1701E]

3. So...

Should the NFL end up paying damages, it could cost each of the 32 teams approximately $449.6 million.

So, they will have to forfeit about 0.1% of their annual income? (I am joking around, but the NFL makes billions each year, and this seems like another 'feel good' maneuver to make us all forget it ever happened, so that they can quietly change the laws and then go and do this same thing again legally. And, we keep letting them do stuff like this.

I happen to like football (both the original and the American version), but once it became the equivalent of a major country in regards to its income and its power in our society, it became more than a sport. And, that ruined it as far as I am concerned.

[Mosby]

4. If this was monopolistic behavior...

Than so is every show on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

[Bengus81]

5. Wonder when the networks will be cut from the NFL?

A hell of a lot of "pay for view" games in the NFL compared to just a decade ago. Of course you pay and then get to watch a hundred commercials too.

[Deminpenn]

6. MLB, NHL, NBA

are also putting more games "exclusively" on one streaming service. As a Pittsburgh sports fan, I had to pay extra to get the new SportsnetPittsburgh cable channel for hockey and baseball in addition to paying Comcast's regional sports fee. Yet, I pay for games that I cannot see because they are excluse to Apple or Netflix or Amazon or ESPN or Paramount+, etc. I sure don't get a refund on my cable bill for those games that are supposed to be SNP but aren't.

[-misanthroptimist]

7. Throw the NFL on the pile of stuff Boomers ruined.