FCC Chairman Carr questions NFL antitrust exemption as games shift to streaming services
Authored by sportsite777.com, Mar 28, 2026
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said the NFL's longstanding antitrust exemption could be jeopardized if the league moves too many games to paid streaming platforms.
Speaking at a Semafor event in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Carr asked: "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?"[1] He described it as "a very live, very ripe question."
Carr added 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."[1]
The exemption originates from the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which permits the NFL to collectively negotiate national television rights deals without violating antitrust laws, subject to conditions including the production of at least one network game per week in at least 75 percent of markets.[2]
To access all NFL games, fans in many markets require multiple subscriptions. YouTube TV's NFL Sunday Ticket, which covers out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, costs $379 for the 2024 season when bundled with YouTube TV or $449 standalone.[3] Additional services include Amazon Prime Video for Thursday Night Football through 2033, Peacock for select NBCUniversal broadcasts, and Netflix for Christmas Day games from 2024 through 2026.[4]
All-in annual costs for these packages can exceed $1,000, excluding taxes, fees and broadband expenses.[1]
The FCC opened a public comment period last month on the migration of live sports from broadcast and multichannel video programming distributors to streaming video services. Initial comments are due March 27, with replies due April 13.[1]
The NFL did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Sources
- Fox News Digital
FCC chair Carr warns NFL could lose antitrust exemption amid streaming shift
Accessed 2026-03-21
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/fcc-chair-carr-warns-nfl-antitrust-exemption-streaming-paywalls - Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute
15 U.S. Code § 1291 - Exemption of professional football games
Accessed 2026-03-21
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1291 - YouTube TV / NFL
NFL Sunday Ticket Pricing
Accessed 2026-03-21 (2024 pricing)
https://tv.youtube.com/learn/nflsundayticket/ - NFL.com
NFL Media Policy and Rights Distribution
Accessed 2026-03-21
https://www.nfl.com/legal/media-policy/