A federal district court judge ruled in favor of the NFL in a court case involving an antitrust lawsuit against the league’s “Sunday Ticket” online viewing package. The judge threw out a jury’s verdict, which had awarded $4.6 billion to residential customers and $97 million to commercial establishments. Judge Philip Gutierrez criticized the jury’s methods for arriving at these figures, stating they were based on speculation rather than evidence.
Expert witnesses for the plaintiffs, Daniel Rascher and John Zona, were also criticized for their flawed methodologies. The judge concluded that there was no support for the class-wide injury and damages claimed by the plaintiffs, leading to a judgment in favor of the NFL. The plaintiffs have the option to appeal the decision.
In response to the ruling, the NFL expressed gratitude and highlighted the options available to fans to watch games. The league argued that the “Sunday Ticket” package provides fans with various viewing options and local broadcasts of games on free television.
The lawsuit argued that the “Sunday Ticket” package unfairly charges one price for all out-of-market broadcasts, limiting consumer choice. The plaintiffs claimed that individual teams should have the option to offer games at competitive prices for their specific market. However, the judge criticized the expert testimony for not explaining how out-of-market telecasts would have been available for free to cable and satellite customers.
The case highlighted the complexities of antitrust law and the implications for media distribution models in professional sports. The NFL maintained its stance on providing fans with diverse viewing options and looked forward to the upcoming 2024 season.
