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Rep. Jim Jordan details House probe in NFL, broadcasting & media rights deals
With the NFL season just months away, the House Judiciary Committee, along with the Justice Department, continues to investigate the league's media rights packages and use of its antitrust exemption. Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, recently released a bombshell report and held a hearing on the matter, which focused on the NFL's broadcast model and use of streaming paywalls.
The hearing focused heavily on the 'Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961', which grants the NFL a limited antitrust exemption, allowing the league to pool teams' broadcast rights together. An interim committee staff report published just days earlier by Rep. Jordan labeled the SBA as a "special interest antitrust exemption gone awry." Lawmakers are alleging that the league has stretched its original intent to enrich itself through exclusive streaming paywalls.
The idea was if you don't do that in New York, you'll get a better deal than Green Bay or Cleveland and you want Green Bay and Cleveland to be part of the league, so you actually have a functioning sports league. So, we get the basis for it, but what's happened now is it's not just broadcasting,” Rep. Jordan told The National News Desk Wednesday.
Committee data also showed that the average fan must now spend between $600-$800 each season, across platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Peacock to watch every game. Writing, "many fans describe the current broadcasting landscape as expensive, fragmented and difficult to navigate."
So, it's broadcast on Sunday, cable on Monday night. On Thursday it's on streaming. On holiday's it can be all four of those...streaming, satellite, cable or broadcast. Same on Christmas day, same on the playoffs, and it's for fans...it's like I want to find our team and watch our team and oh by the way it costs a lot of money as well to do that,” Rep. Jordan said.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declined an invitation to the hearing, leaving the league unrepresented. Meanwhile, the league maintains that 87% of its games are broadcast on free, over-the-air TV. A number both lawmakers and fans dispute.