‘Bombshell’: DOJ investigating NFL deals to stream games
Members of Congress already have been complaining about the National Football League’s anti-consumer agenda, where it cuts special financial deals to stream certain teams and certain games.
And now the Department of Justice is opening an investigation into the league’s activities.
Reports said “people familiar with the situation” confirmed that the investigation is looking into whether the NFL has committed anticompetitive actions that harm consumers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the scope and topics of the investigation couldn’t be documented right away.
BREAKING: The Justice Department has opened an investigation into NFL.
The National Football League is being investigated over whether it has engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers.
The primary issue appears to be how difficult and expensive it is for fans to…
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) April 9, 2026
The report explained that the Sports Broadcasting Act “grants the league limited antitrust protection to allow the teams to collectively negotiate packages of TV rights.”
However, media companies, regulators and even members of Congress have warned in recent months how difficult it is for consumers to be able to watch their favorite sports games “as a result of rights deals in which leagues offer smaller packages of games to streamers.”
At the time Congress adopted the law in 1961, football fans generally could watch NFL games over broadcast television.
Now, in pursuit of revenue, the NFL has games appearing on different channels and platforms, including those that require a special subscription to access, the report said.
The Federal Communications Commission confirmed a few weeks ago it was looking to obtain public comment on those changes.
And Republican Sen. Mike Lee, of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, wrote recently to the DOJ and FTC requesting a review of the NFL’s special privileges.
“To watch every NFL game during the past season, football fans spent almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions,” Lee charged.
The report also included the warning that, “The NFL is seeking to reopen its deals with networks to lock in higher rates.”
The Daily Mail called the news a “bombshell,” and it pointed out that for the 2026 season, the NFL is selling game access to CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, Amazon Prime, Fox One, Paramount+, Peacock, Netflix and YouTube.
The NFL told the publication, “The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry.”