House Panel Seeks Goodell Testimony on 1961 Sports Law as NFL Defends $110 Billion TV Model
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
House Panel Seeks Goodell Testimony on 1961 Sports Law as NFL Defends $110 Billion TV Model
15 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
June 10 is the date House Judiciary Republicans want Roger Goodell to testify on whether the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 now harms consumers; he must say by June 3 whether he will appear.
The hearing will probe whether leagues have stretched the law’s antitrust exemption by shifting games to paid streaming services, forcing fans to stack subscriptions to follow the NFL.
$110 billion in NFL media deals through 2033 depend on that exemption, which lets the 32-team league pool and sell TV rights collectively instead of team by team.
Amazon, Netflix and Peacock are central to the scrutiny: Amazon has the Black Friday game and 15 Thursday night games, Netflix carries two Christmas Day games, and Peacock streams an exclusive regular-season matchup.
The request lands as the FCC, DOJ and Congress all review whether modern sports distribution still fits a 65-year-old law written for a far different broadcast market.
Will ending the NFL's TV exemption save fans money or threaten smaller teams' survival?
Are exclusive streaming deals the real problem, or is it the unchecked power of media giants?
Congressional and DOJ Scrutiny Threaten NFL’s $110 Billion Media Rights Model and Sports Broadcasting Act
Overview
The NFL is under intense scrutiny from both Congress and the Department of Justice due to its growing reliance on subscription-based streaming for game broadcasts. This has led to a scheduled House Judiciary Committee hearing and an ongoing antitrust investigation, reflecting concerns from fans, lawmakers, and traditional broadcasters about rising costs and harder access to games. The shift toward streaming is seen as fragmenting how fans watch football, prompting legislative questions about the impact on public access. Traditional broadcasters have voiced their worries to regulators, highlighting the broad debate over the NFL’s evolving media strategy and its effects on viewers.