The Department of Justice has opened a probe into whether the NFL is harming consumers in the way it sells its broadcast rights, according to verified reporting from ESPN and Bloomberg News.
The investigation comes as the NFL prepares to negotiate new media contracts worth billions of dollars, determining where fans will watch games and how much they’ll pay to access them. The DOJ’s scrutiny focuses on the league’s growing reliance on subscription streaming services for high-profile games, a trend that has drawn concern from lawmakers and viewers about rising costs.
Currently, the NFL distributes its broadcast rights across a mix of traditional and streaming partners. Games are aired on ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, and Netflix. Subscriptions are required to watch certain marquee matchups, including “Monday Night Football” on ESPN (when not simulcast on ABC), “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video, and Christmas Day games on Netflix.
Some international contests and select postseason games as well air on NFL Network, which is owned by ESPN, although others have appeared on platforms like ESPN+, YouTube, and Peacock in past seasons. All regular-season games remain available free of charge on local broadcast stations in the markets of the participating teams.
According to sources familiar with the matter cited in the ESPN report, the Murdoch family — which controls Fox Corporation — is viewed inside the NFL league office as a key driver behind the DOJ’s inquiry. The timing of the probe coincides with ongoing negotiations for the next round of media rights deals, which are expected to set new benchmarks for sports broadcasting value.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 grants the NFL a limited antitrust exemption, allowing it to pool and sell broadcast rights for all games as a single package to promote wider fan access. However, the DOJ is examining whether the league’s current strategy — shifting premium content to paid streaming tiers — undermines that intent by potentially increasing financial barriers for consumers.
While the full scope of the investigation remains unclear, the probe adds pressure on the NFL to justify its media distribution model amid heightened public and regulatory attention. Fans have increasingly voiced frustration over needing multiple subscriptions to follow their favorite teams, especially as playoff-caliber games migrate behind paywalls.
For now, the league continues to operate under its existing agreements, with no changes to the 2026 schedule or broadcast windows confirmed. Any potential shifts in rights allocation — including speculative interest from Netflix in high-profile early-season games — would depend on the outcome of ongoing negotiations and the trajectory of the federal review.
The next confirmed checkpoint in this process is the NFL’s annual spring league meeting, where owners typically review media strategy and financial projections. Until then, the status of streaming partnerships and the DOJ’s probe remain active topics within sports business circles.
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