U.S. Department of Justice Opens Investigation Into The NFL

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Apr 9, 2026 11:52 AM ET

The NFL may have its hands full with the U.S. Department of Justice this offseason.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that an investigation has been launched into the NFL and whether it has engaged in "anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers." Back in 1961, the Sports Broadcasting Act was formed to help teams collectively secure TV deals with national networks.

Unfortunately for NFL fans, the 2026 season won't just feature games on CBS, FOX and NBC. There'll also be games streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. There's no question that spreading games across various platforms has to impact consumers and their wallets.

With that said, Lee is urging the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to review the antitrust exemption for the NFL.

"To watch every NFL game during the past season, football fans spent almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions," Republican Sen. Mike Lee said, via The Wall Street Journal.

What's the current deal for the NFL?

As of now, the NFL is locked in on a media rights deal that runs through 2033.

John Ourand of Puck said the NFL has already reported that CBS may have its annual rate increased from $2.1 billion to $3 billion.

"The league seems to be hoping to re-up the current networks in their current windows, with the potential exception of Amazon and NBC flip-flopping the Sunday night and Thursday night packages. The thinking is that the pivot to streaming will happen more quickly if Prime Video becomes a necessity on Sunday — the traditional day for nine hours of football viewing," Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote. "Then, streamers like YouTube and Netflix would pick up mini packages for maximum dollars: Christmas, the Week 1 international game, Thanksgiving Eve, international Sunday morning games, etc."

We'll see if the Justice Department's investigation results in the NFL pumping the brakes on a new media rights deal.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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