NFL Faces Justice Department Probe Over Potential Anticompetitive Consumer Practices

The National Football League is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for possible anticompetitive practices that could affect consumers, according to a Wall Street Journal report Thursday that cited people familiar with the matter.

While the full scope of the inquiry remains undisclosed, the Journal noted that regulators are examining issues related to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. That statute grants the NFL limited antitrust protection, permitting its 32 clubs to pool television rights and negotiate them collectively rather than on a team-by-team basis. Lawmakers and media watchdogs have increasingly argued that the current rights structure limits consumer choice by parceling out matchups across a patchwork of broadcast, cable and streaming outlets—many behind paywalls—rather than the free, over-the-air model that prevailed when the act was adopted.

The probe comes amid heightened scrutiny of how sports leagues distribute content. Media organizations, federal regulators and members of Congress have voiced concern that fans encounter rising costs and logistical hurdles when trying to follow their favorite teams, a dynamic they attribute to tightly controlled, high-priced rights packages. With NFL games now spread across CBS, FOX, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN and other subscription services, viewers often must purchase multiple platforms to catch a full season of any one club’s schedule.

The league’s media landscape could shift further in the wake of corporate maneuvering. The pending sale of CBS parent Paramount to Skydance Media contains a change-of-ownership clause that allows the NFL to reopen its $2.1 billion annual contract with the network. If the parties strike a revised deal, the Journal reported, the league is expected to pursue fresh terms with its remaining partners. The current agreements with FOX, CBS, NBC and Amazon run through the 2033 season, while ESPN’s deal stretches an additional year to 2034.

The Justice Department has not publicly commented on the investigation, and the NFL declined to address specifics when contacted Thursday. The inquiry follows last month’s overturning of a $4.7 billion judgment against the league in the long-running NFL Sunday Ticket class-action lawsuit, though that case centered on commercial pricing rather than consumer access.

Any potential action by federal antitrust enforcers could reshape how America’s most-watched sport reaches its audience, with implications for pricing, packaging and platform availability in an era of accelerating cord-cutting and streaming competition.