DOJ Launches Investigation Into NFL TV Rights Package

Sports leagues and their owners usually look forward to media rights renegotiation, as a new package can lead to billions of dollars in revenue over the course of a contract.

The NFL is no different, as it currently receives over $10 billion per year from its partnerships with Disney, CBS Sports, Amazon Prime, NBC Sports, Netflix and FOX. The contract is set to last a few years into the next decade, but the NFL has the right to opt out of the current agreement in 2029.

However, the federal government is looking into the legality of the NFL’s arrangement with its broadcast partners to see if it violates any antitrust laws.

The Justice Department has begun an investigation into whether the NFL has violated anticompetitive practices with its television contracts that require consumers to pay subscription costs to watch some games, sources confirmed to ABC News. https://t.co/p5Nt6PL2rO

— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2026

“This is about affordability and creating an even playing field for provides,” said a government official.

While there are subscription fees associated with some of the platforms that stream or air NFL games, the league has pointed to the notion that the vast majority of games are available without cost to fans.

“The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” the league said in a statement. “With over 87 percent of our games on free, broadcast television, including 100% of games in the markets of the competing teams, the NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content.”

The statement continued, “The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans.”

Senator Mike Lee of Utah has kept tabs on this topic, writing a letter to the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission where he estimated that fans are forced to spend $1,000 to be able to watch NFL games across various platforms.

Congressman Patrick Ryan of New York had a similar sentiment.

“We’re seeing the same story over and over again: billionaires in boardrooms making decisions to maximize their profits without thinking for a second about the fans,” Ryan said in a statement. “The Sports Broadcasting Act may have made sense in the ‘60s, but what we’re essentially seeing play out here is a classic case of a monopolized industry using their power and control to take advantage of the American people.”

While this is going on, the NFL stands to potentially boost its earnings through its media rights deal with CBS Sports. According to reports, CBS Sports may pay an additional $1 billion per year for an expanded package that includes standalone windows where their game is the only contest shown. CBS Sports already pays the NFL over $2 billion per season under the terms of the current media rights deal.

NFL, CBS move toward a new long-term TV that that could exceed $3 billion annually. https://t.co/sg6DpabyYr

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 16, 2026

If this contract addition for CBS came to pass, it could take effect as soon as the 2026 season, and last for eight seasons.

It’s an interesting wrinkle to the landscape of sports media, as the NFL appears ready and willing to negotiate with its partners to upsell despite the existence of a current agreement. Other broadcast partners may look at the business dealings involving CBS and wonder if they could or would have interest in renegotiating a few years into the current contract.