The NFL is transitioning toward the 2026 NFL Draft. One of the great spectacles in sports will be broadcast live. The king of American sports has made its product feel nearly invincible due to its immense value and demand.
That doesn’t mean the NFL isn’t without backlash. In recent years, the league has negotiated extremely lucrative contracts with streaming services.
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The streaming landscape is a polarizing subject and has left many fans agitated. Even the U.S. government has taken note of these practices.
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FCC Chair Brendan Carr has indicated that there could be serious ramifications for the NFL. The league continues to veer away from traditional television broadcasts. This includes the potential revocation of its coveted antitrust exemption.
The NFL’s ‘tipping point’?
“Does the NFL still benefit from the antitrust exemption when they’re negotiating for carriage of games not on a sponsored telecast, but on a streaming service?” Carr said.
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The NFL has benefited from an antitrust exemption provided by the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act. This allows the league to negotiate television deals collectively rather than as individual competitors.
However, these limitations apply only to free, over-the-air broadcasts. It is not a blanket exemption—something the NFL is toeing the line with.
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“[There is] a point at which you sort of tip the scale, and they’ve just put too many games behind a paywall, and then that whole exemption collapses,” Carr continued.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell welcomes fans to the 2025 NFL Draft before the first round on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26.
At the heart of the issue is the fact that the NFL’s agreements are with services that do not stream games for free. Subscriptions are required.
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One could argue that this is simply the current state of television. Consumers are cutting cable and paying for streaming services instead of traditional outlets like DirecTV and Spectrum.
Regardless, the FCC’s statements appear to be sending a strong message to the NFL: adjust your practices, or risk your future revenue-earning potential.
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