The NFL has been engaged in an anti-trust lawsuit regarding the price of the annual service known as “Sunday Ticket.” The lawsuit argued that the league kept the price of the service too high, and was in partnership with networks like FOX and CBS to keep ratings high for locally televised games.
Initially, a jury deliberated and ruled in favor of the class action lawsuit that was being levied against the NFL. The reported amount to be paid to businesses and consumers was around $4.7 billion but could have ballooned to $12 billion, based on the anti-trust laws that were broken.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Verizon
Naturally, the NFL appealed the decision, which started another trial process. Figures in the league like Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified on the price of “Sunday Ticket.”
After much deliberation, a federal judge has now ruled in favor of the NFL, overturning the decision made by the jury in the first trial.
BREAKING: A federal district judge has overturned the jury verdict in the NFL Sunday Ticket case
— Daniel Kaplan (@KaplanSportsBiz) August 1, 2024
Business reporter Daniel Kaplan reported the news of the overturned verdict.
The news has also been reported by Front Office Sports.
BREAKING: A federal district judge has overturned the jury verdict in the $4.7 billion NFL Sunday Ticket case.@byajperez with more on what it means ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 1, 2024
The NFL was set to pay billions of dollars to those who purchased “Sunday Ticket,” but that is not going to be the case any longer.
Despite the lawsuit stating that the NFL knowingly kept the price of “Sunday Ticket” too high, the league consistently stated the service was always a premium product, hence its high price.
“The case is about choice,” NFL attorney Beth Wilkinson said to the jury during the case. “This is a valuable, premium product. Think about all the choices available to fans? We want as many people as possible to watch the free broadcasts.”
There are likely to be even more appeals coming regarding this decision, but “Sunday Ticket” will presumably continue to remain at the price it’s at through the 2024 season.
The biggest change this lawsuit has provided regarding “Sunday Ticket” is the service will now be available via streaming. When the service was on DirecTV, bars, and homes would have to have a plan with the cable provider to use it.
Read more: NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ Trial Has Already Led to Massive Change For 2024 Season
Now, UPshow and EverPass have obtained the commercial rights to allow bars and restaurants to stream “Sunday Ticket” without having to subscribe to YouTubeTV, which currently owns the rights to the residential portion of the service.
The appeal process for the lawsuit is likely to continue through the 2024 season, and any other additional changes to the service might not be implemented until 2025.
Correction 8/04/24, 4:20 p.m. ET: This article was altered to correct Everpass owning the commercial rights to NFL “Sunday Ticket.”
