The National Football League (NFL) is facing a class-action lawsuit worth $6 billion following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez in Los Angeles. The lawsuit alleges that the NFL unlawfully limited the number of televised games and increased the cost of its “Sunday Ticket” package. Sunday Ticket is a subscription service that allows subscribers to watch local and out-of-market games on Sundays, while fans in other markets can only see a limited number of games. The case will be divided into two classes of plaintiffs: individual Sunday Ticket residential subscribers and commercial establishments such as hotels and bars.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys are seeking damages of up to $6 billion for individuals and commercial entities that purchased Sunday Ticket from DirecTV since 2011. According to the plaintiff’s expert report submitted to the court, at least 2.4 million members are in the residential class, while the commercial class has about 48,000 members.
The NFL and its teams have denied liability and argued that the plaintiffs’ lawyers failed to meet the legal requirements for forming a class. The NFL’s attorneys also argued that any change in the distribution of games would be irrelevant since the league’s agreement with DirecTV is set to end after the 2022-2023 football season.
Despite the NFL’s denial of liability, the judge’s ruling stated that the entire class would likely continue to be impacted by the NFL’s allegedly anticompetitive restraints on telecasts, even with the new streaming deal signed by YouTube in December. The deal with Google-owned YouTube is for the exclusive streaming of Sunday Ticket package games, but the company has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
A trial is scheduled to begin in February 2024, and both sides are preparing to defend their positions. The NFL has stated that it is reviewing the judge’s order and continues to believe that the plaintiffs’ claims have no merit.
The NFL faces a significant legal challenge in a $6 billion class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the NFL’s limitations on televised games and the increased cost of the Sunday Ticket package are illegal. The case will be divided into two classes of plaintiffs, with a trial set to begin in February 2024. The NFL has stated that it will vigorously defend its position and believes the plaintiffs’ claims have no merit. Fans, the legal community, and the media will closely watch the trial’s outcome.
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NFL must face class action lawsuit over ‘Sunday Ticket’ prices