Reaping financial rewards from strong-arming fans into paying for streaming services has become one of the NFL’s largest revenue streams, but that may change.
Senator Mike Lee (R, UT) is urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the NFL and other professional sports leagues, as well as the exorbitant costs fans are being forced to pay to watch games on streaming services.
Lee, who chairs the Senate’s antitrust subcommittee, made a direct appeal to the DOJ’s Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi and the FTC’s Chairman Andrew Ferguson to reexamine whether the country’s laws regarding the rights to broadcast sporting events truly serve consumers in the age of streaming services.
As Lee wrote, “Under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, leagues have been able to pool their individual teams’ TV rights into massive packages and hold deals with multiple streamers – forcing football fans to spend roughly $1,000 on cable and streaming services if they wanted to watch every NFL game this past season.
“I request that your antitrust enforcement agencies examine the Sports Broadcasting Act and its applicability to the current media landscape.”
Javonte Williams #33 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 17, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
Lee continued, “The Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights welcomes your expertise as we evaluate whether the statute continues to serve consumers or should be revised to reflect modern market conditions.”
The request for the probe comes amid a significant spike in the average cost of viewing sporting events.
As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports via the New York Post, “NFL games, for example, aired on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Netflix, YouTube and six other streamers last year, the FCC Media Bureau noted in its filing — citing a higher estimate to watch every pro football game, on the order of about $1,500.”
The cost for viewership represents a significant spike in what used to be considered a free or near-free viewing experience.
The National Association of Broadcasters endorsed Lee’s call for a probe.
“Live sports have long been a unifying, free, and widely accessible part of our culture. When those games become increasingly fragmented across paid services, fans face higher costs and greater confusion, and too many families are left out,” NAB spokesperson Grace Whaley told The Post.
“The consequences are not just about sports. For local stations, sports programming helps fund the trusted local journalism that communities rely on every day and especially during emergencies.”
The NFL’s current deals with streaming services are expected to bring the league over $100 billion inrevenues, the FCC reports.
