NFL Sunday Ticket $6 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit

[Q729]

What's at Stake in NFL Sunday Ticket $6 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit?

The case now has a trial date, and if the plaintiffs are successful in the case it could lead to huge changes in how audiences watch NFL games.

thestreamable.com

What's at Stake in NFL Sunday Ticket $6 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit? ​

David Satin

Lawsuits are nothing new for the NFL. An entity as huge and worth as much money as the NFL is bound to attract attention, and to be sure it has earned legal scrutiny at times. The league has been facing a class-action lawsuit for the past nine years regarding its pricing and distribution of games on NFL Sunday Ticket, and depending on the outcome of the suit the NFL broadcasting landscape could undergo huge changes in the next few years.

• The suit, representing more than 2 million individuals, as well as nearly 50,000 bars and restaurants is headed to trial on Feb. 22.
• NFL figures like Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft, and Jerry Jones are being called to testify.
• If plaintiffs are successful, NFL teams could gain the right to negotiate TV and streaming deals for themselves.

What Would NFL Broadcast Landscape Look Like if Suit Succeeds?

The lawsuit against the NFL might not be getting too much attention now, just days ahead of the AFC and NFC Championship games and weeks before Super Bowl LVIII. But it may start grabbing more headlines quickly after the Super Bowl concludes, as the judge presiding over the case ordered it to trial and set a start date of Feb. 22.

Front Office Sports reports that huge NFL names like commissioner Roger Goodell, owners like the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft, as well as CBS Sports chair Sean McManus, have been called to testify. The fact that such names are being sent to the witness stand should serve as some indication of how important the suit could be.

Indeed, the damages in the case could amount to as much as $6.1 billion, and that’s not even the most important consequence of a victory by the plaintiffs. Such a ruling could mean individual NFL teams would be free to make their own TV broadcasting and streaming agreements, instead of proceeding as one unified league as the NFL has done in making its broadcast deals in the past.

If that happens, NFL teams would more closely resemble NHL and NBA teams in how they distribute their broadcast rights. It could be a huge win for regional sports networks (RSNs) like those from Bally Sports, who might suddenly have access to the top television product in the United States from a ratings perspective. Many teams would likely create their own streaming services for in-market fans, and some of these could allow fans to watch live games no matter which linear channel the team appears on. Games could even disappear from current broadcast and streaming partners such as CBS, Fox, Paramount+, and Peacock as teams sort out new broadcasting arrangements for themselves.

Such a ruling could be a disaster for the NFL as a league, however. One of the biggest reasons the NFL became such an indispensable part of many Americans’ lives is because of its wide availability on free, over-the-air broadcast channels like CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC. It offered a relatively simple answer to the question “Where can I watch my local team?”; fans who lived in the same area as an NFC squad would usually find its games on Fox on Sunday afternoons, and fans who lived in the market of an AFC team can typically flip on CBS to see that team’s game on a given Sunday.

If teams start selling their broadcast/streaming rights on their own, it would create a much more chaotic situation from a fan perspective that could even result in lower ratings. The question of where to find a team’s games on a particular day would be much harder to answer, and games might shift to cable channels, where some owners will no doubt be attracted by a promise of more revenues, just like MLB, NBA and NHL owners have been in the past.

Why is NFL Facing a Class-Action Lawsuit Over Sunday Ticket?

The suit was first filed in 2015, years before NFL Sunday Ticket moved to its current home on YouTube TV. Back then, DIRECTV held the rights to Sunday Ticket, and as of now the league insisted on setting a very high price for a Sunday Ticket subscription. In 2023, customers who didn’t want to sign up for YouTube TV had to pay $450 for a season’s worth of Sunday Ticket.

The legal process has played out slowly in this case, which was also delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Altogether, it represents 2.4 million residential customers, as well as more than 48,000 bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. It argues that by limiting the offering of out-of-market NFL games to just one service, and then charging a premium price for that service, the league is in violation of antitrust laws and creating a non-competitive environment.

The NFL has had no luck in getting the case dismissed, and it may already be planning for the contingency that it loses the suit. A win would have good and bad consequences for fans; they might finally get access to in-market streaming services with single-game options for their favorite teams, and more outlets for watching out-of-market games than just NFL Sunday Ticket. But they might also see their top squad be moved behind the cable paywall, or face more confusion about where the team is available to watch week-to-week.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Sunday ticket cost me less than $20.00 per game for the Rams this year. It’s worth it to me. I like the one stop shopping. I don’t want to have to be figuring out where the game is every week. Plus YouTube Live TV automatically records every game. It will be a PIA if these games are dispersed around several different streaming services.

It could be even worse if each team has their own streaming service or one that combines sports like Yes Network does. I doubt it saves anybody any money in the long run.

 

[Angry Ram]

Sorry Q.


View: https://youtu.be/RsYi2VH2y6U?si=pldtneMOnvaTbFZZ

 

[Q729]

Sorry Q.


View: https://youtu.be/RsYi2VH2y6U?si=pldtneMOnvaTbFZZ

Ouch. Well here's to the current 33 views then lol.

 

[rdlkgliders]

Too bad, So sad.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Not a good idea.
It would take games away from networks and teams would sign deals with Cable companies.

The Dodgers have the worst TV deal I’ve ever seen.
The rights are owned by a cable company.
The only way I can even get the right to purchase Prime Ticket, is if I buy an expensive package.

Right now we use Spectrum Streaming.
Prime ticket isn’t even offered.
Spectrum Cable has it, but again, you have to purchase one of their expensive packages, just to get the right to add on Prime Ticket….at an additional cost.

I can switch to DirectTV, but it’s the same.
Prime Ticket isn’t available on their cheaper plans, even though it’s a separate add on.

I use to be able to come home from work and turn on the Dodger game on local networks.
That all ended when the Dodgers fucked their fans over and made that cable deal.

I’ve tried getting around it by signing up for the MLB package with a VPN.
That didn’t work either.
MLB is all over those VPNs and still black out the local games.

I didn’t watch one Dodger game last year.


The tv packages the NFL have are fan friendly, especially to their local networks.
They even lifted black outs years ago.

I’m with the NFL on this 100%

 

[gogoat1]

Fuck the NFL and really Fuck U Tube.
"insisting" on high prices.
Get the fuck out of here.
DTV gave it to me for free for years.
Thing is, I streamed any game I wanted to for FREE last year and did not miss any of them.
Streaming is much better now.
And it free,FREE, FREE!!!

 

[TSFH Fan]

View: https://giphy.com/gifs/flag-pirates-perfect-gif-vT6qlTWOWYzZK

 

[I like Rams]

I personally like the NBA model, where you can buy per game. So if I wanna go watch it at the bar with friends, I just don't buy it that week.

I hated the direct TV contract. Yes you could get it for cheap if you threatened to leave, but its hurricane season here in Florida during the nfl season, so if there's any finicky weather, you cant wstch the game. And with youtube, I hate supporting YouTube more than I already do. So...

 

[Rams8821]

Not a good idea.
It would take games away from networks and teams would sign deals with Cable companies.

The Dodgers have the worst TV deal I’ve ever seen.
The rights are owned by a cable company.
The only way I can even get the right to purchase Prime Ticket, is if I buy an expensive package.

Right now we use Spectrum Streaming.
Prime ticket isn’t even offered.
Spectrum Cable has it, but again, you have to purchase one of their expensive packages, just to get the right to add on Prime Ticket….at an additional cost.

I can switch to DirectTV, but it’s the same.
Prime Ticket isn’t available on their cheaper plans, even though it’s a separate add on.

I use to be able to come home from work and turn on the Dodger game on local networks.
That all ended when the Dodgers fucked their fans over and made that cable deal.

I’ve tried getting around it by signing up for the MLB package with a VPN.
That didn’t work either.
MLB is all over those VPNs and still black out the local games.

I didn’t watch one Dodger game last year.


The tv packages the NFL have are fan friendly, especially to their local networks.
They even lifted black outs years ago.

I’m with the NFL on this 100%

I understand your frustraion, however signing that cable deal allowed them to bring in guys like Ohtani, Yamammoto, Freeman, etc. Its one of the best team friendly packages any team has and a reason why their payroll is what it will be in 24.

IM out of market so its not a big deal for me, if I lived in LA id just bite the bullet. Dodgers will be MUST SEE TV this season.

 

[Corbin]

 

[Faceplant]

I dunno. I think the price for the NFL ticket is fair. I spent more on a dinner for 4 last week. It's all relative. Not blaming those that can't or do not want to pay, but for me, it's a small expense for what I get.

RedZone is a cheaper alternative for those that want to see most of the good action.....and as noted above, apparently the streams are much more reliable now?

I do wish we had the option to buy games a LA carte tho....

CWUTIDIDTHAR?

 

[den-the-coach]

Sunday ticket cost me less than $20.00 per game for the Rams this year. It’s worth it to me. I like the one stop shopping. I don’t want to have to be figuring out where the game is every week. Plus YouTube Live TV automatically records every game. It will be a PIA if these games are dispersed around several different streaming services.

I concur all of us have to make choices if something is cost effective and for me watching my Rams every Sunday is. I really hope they do not make it tough to watch out of market games, the YouTube was easy to navigate and find and thankfully my internet speed made it a pleasurable experience.

 

[PARAM]

The NFL became the #1 sport in the country because of TV but they became the most profitable because of revenue sharing. I agree with Elmgrovegnome.....the ticket is worth it to me to see the Rams every week. The price per game fluctuates depending on how many national broadcasts there are (two this year) and how many times they are on local Philly station (two or three this year IIRC) for normal Sunday games. But 12-13 games is about $25 per. Hell, I'd spend twice that in a sports bar and then have to drive, probably over the legal limit!

 

[Q729]

It would be nice to pay per game. Never know which non-primetime games will show up on local tv. The few times I tune in to other teams the game becomes a snoozer so I just end up at Redzone.

Who knows if the per game pricing would end up equaling a season's worth of Sunday Ticket. Then you end up with even less than what you were getting before.

I get there's the high seas option, but I honestly just want a reliable stream. One could argue that the streaming platforms this season dropped the ball there too (worked fairly well for me)! Just broadcast the shit over the air and put team announcer commentary on the subchannels...

 

[Oyster]

Considering the cost of a pair tickets to a decent rock concert can be around $300, Sunday Ticket is a pretty good deal.

I also subscribe to NFL plus to watch shortened replays at my leisure. So to be entertained for 4 or 5 months for around $400 total for both seems very fair.

Heck, a hotel room in a major city will cost at least that for ONE night!

 

[den-the-coach]

Heck, a hotel room in a major city will cost at least that for ONE night!

And that does not include company.

 

[Dodgersrf]

I understand your frustraion, however signing that cable deal allowed them to bring in guys like Ohtani, Yamammoto, Freeman, etc. Its one of the best team friendly packages any team has and a reason why their payroll is what it will be in 24.

IM out of market so it’s not a big deal for me, if I lived in LA id just bite the bullet. Dodgers will be MUST SEE TV this season.

I’m not paying $80 or more a month, only for Dodger games.
Something I use to get included with any local package.

The main thing?
for years, Prime wasn’t even available to everyone, because the cable provider didn’t have contracts in many areas.
Customers don’t have access to every cable provider. Every Customer has a few choices that cover their city.


And I entirely disagree with Ohtanis’ deal.
It’s ridiculous.

 

[dieterbrock]

Honestly, the suit should be against Direct TV, not the NFL itself
The Sunday Ticket is an absolute bargain nowadays
On a side note, Class action suits are fun though, I worked for a certain bank at one time and every once in awhile I get invited to join in on a class action suit, for kicks I'll sign up. Amazingly from time to time, I'll even get paid for it.

 

[dieterbrock]

Considering the cost of a pair tickets to a decent rock concert can be around $300, Sunday Ticket is a pretty good deal.

I also subscribe to NFL plus to watch shortened replays at my leisure. So to be entertained for 4 or 5 months for around $400 total for both seems very fair.

Heck, a hotel room in a major city will cost at least that for ONE night!

When I see what people are paying for tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, and the ridiculous attendance numbers that go with, I cant believe that $3-400 a year for full access to 18 weeks of football is too much $$$