The NFL is under investigation by the Justice Department, as they think the league has “engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The DOJ thinks that the league may be forcing fans to pay too much for subscription fees.
For some time, fans have been able to watch games for free through broadcast television, but now, games are being watching among different platforms, and for some of them, you need to have a paid subscription to access them.
That has led to an investigation into the antitrust and anticompetitive tactics.
Sen. Mike Lee, the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, wrote a letter in March requesting a review of the league’s streaming platform exemptions. He also wanted to know if the streaming package fees violated the Sports Broadcasting Act.
“To watch every NFL game during the past season, football fans spent almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions,” Lee wrote.
In February, the league said that 87% of its games were shown on free broadcast television, along with digital platforms.
“The NFL has the most accessible, fan-friendly distribution model across all of sports and entertainment,” they said in a statement.
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