NFL Ordered to Pay $47 Billion for Sunday Ticket Antitrust Violations

Jury Finds League Violated Antitrust Laws

Damages Awarded to Class-Action Subscribers

A jury has ordered the National Football League (NFL) to pay more than $47 billion for antitrust violations surrounding its Sunday Ticket package, which allows subscribers to watch out-of-market NFL games. The jury found that the NFL violated antitrust laws by preventing other companies from offering competing Sunday Ticket packages, which resulted in higher prices for consumers.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers who alleged that the league was violating antitrust laws by refusing to license the Sunday Ticket package to other companies. The subscribers argued that this prevented other companies from offering competing Sunday Ticket packages, which would have resulted in lower prices for consumers.

The NFL denied the allegations, arguing that it had a legitimate business reason for not licensing the Sunday Ticket package to other companies. The league argued that it needed to maintain control over the Sunday Ticket package in order to protect its intellectual property and to ensure that the quality of the product remained high.

However, the jury did not agree with the NFL's arguments. The jury found that the NFL had violated antitrust laws by preventing other companies from offering competing Sunday Ticket packages. The jury also found that the NFL's conduct had caused harm to consumers by resulting in higher prices for Sunday Ticket.

The $47 billion damages award is one of the largest antitrust awards in history. The award is a major victory for consumers and a significant setback for the NFL.