The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the NFL for possibly engaging in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal did not report on the nature and scope of the investigation but mentioned the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which gave professional sports leagues antitrust protection to secure collectively-packaged television rights.
Advertisement
Both the NFL and DOJ declined to comment to the Journal. USA TODAY Sports also reached out to the NFL for comment.
Dating back to last year, Congress has asked leagues to explain how the current media environment – increasingly dominated by streaming services – and new media rights deals are beneficial to the public. The NFL did not send a representative to a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last May to discuss the market segmentation that has made it costly for consumers to watch their favorite teams.
“I wish they had come,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said of the NFL at the time. “I think the issues that were discussed apply to them just like they apply to the leagues that were here.”
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition, Policy, and Consumer Rights, Mike Lee, wrote April 7 to Omeed A. Assefi, the acting Assistant Attorney General, and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and urged for the executive branch to investigate the SBA’s interpretation.
Advertisement
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Rep. Pat Ryan, D-New York, urged the Federal Communications Commission earlier this week “to closely examine the trends that have directly contributed to the current state of sports streaming.” The FCC announced in February it sought public comment on how the changing media habits of leagues affected consumers.
NFL games shown on streaming services always air in the local TV markets of the two competing teams’ cities. But estimates have shown that watching the NFL last season cost, on average, between $900-1,000, despite the NFL’s assertion that nearly 90% of its 272 regular-season games still air on local TV.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:
Hence then, the article about doj investigating nfl for anticompetitive harm of consumers per report was published today ( ) and is available on TOP world News today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( DOJ investigating NFL for anticompetitive harm of consumers, per report )
Also on site :
- U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
- Goldfish Is Offering Fans Free Crackers for Tax Day—Here’s How To Claim Yours
- Cannes: Studiocanal Boards Jeanne Herry’s Palme D’Or Contender ‘Another Day’ & Unveils First Look