A jury has ordered the NFL to pay $4.7 billion in damages for violating antitrust law with its “Sunday Ticket” subscription pricing.
They ruled that the league violated these laws through the distribution of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games to a premium subscription service on DirecTV.
The jury found the league liable for conspiring to inflate “Sunday Ticket” prices.
A lawyer for the consumers in opening statements declared the NFL’s actions to be “price-fixing,” adding, “That is illegal.”
The NFL has been ordered to pay $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and an additional $96 million in damages to the commercial class.
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Who Benefits From The NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ Ruling?
The simple answer to the question of who won in the NFL “Sunday Ticket” trial ruling is ‘the consumer.’
The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package. The time frame includes the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV.
“Justice was done. The verdict upholds protection for the consumers in our class. It was a great day for consumers,” plaintiffs attorney Bill Carmody said according to ESPN.
The losers in this battle? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell who testified at the trial, for sure.
Oh, and every team in the league. Now they will be on the hook for $449.6 million each if the league does eventually have to pay the damages.
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What’s Next?
Why do we say ‘if they eventually pay’? The NFL has made it clear they will appeal the ruling after losing the “Sunday Ticket” trial.
“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the league said in a statement.
They insist their media distribution strategy is “by far the most fan-friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.”
An analysis of their distribution model shows that a football fan seeking to have access to every league game in 2024 would have to pay $855.86.
In this economy? That doesn’t sound fan-friendly.
“We will certainly contest this decision as we believe that the class action claims in this case are baseless and without merit,” the NFL statement reads.
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