Overview
- Brendan Carr, speaking Thursday in Washington, said the NFL could hit a tipping point where paywalled streaming collapses its antitrust exemption.
- The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 lets leagues sell rights as a single package only when games remain broadly accessible on free broadcast TV.
- The FCC has an open inquiry taking public comment on sports shifting to streaming and is examining how that affects viewer access.
- Sen. Mike Lee urged the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to reexamine the NFL’s exemption, adding political pressure.
- Critics say exclusive deals on services like Netflix and Prime Video raise costs and drain audiences from local stations, while the league argues it must follow fans online.