NFL forced to pay nearly billions after guilty verdict in Sunday Ticket trial

NFL

We previously covered the ongoing NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit, which required commissioner Roger Goodell to testify in court. On Thursday, a verdict was reached.

Multiple reports confirm that the NFL is being ordered to pay $4.7 billion in residential class damages and an additional $96 million in commercial class damages following its guilty verdict in the Sunday Ticket antitrust trial. Yet, due to the federal antitrust law, the cost is tripled, bringing the NFL’s total damages to over $14 billion.

The larger chunk — $4.7 billion will go to fans who paid for the streaming service. The $96 million goes to bars that were ‘overcharged’ for Sunday Ticket. It is unknown when or how these funds will be distributed, but it could take a while.

While this is significant news, the fight isn’t over yet. The NFL plans to appeal the court ruling. Here’s the league’s official statement on Thursday’s court ruling.

“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit. We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution of our most popular games, supplemented by many additional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL+, is by far the most fan friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.“

NFL statement on Sunday Ticket guilty verdict

YouTube TV costs $349 per year, despite the league previously rejecting a proposal that would have charged fans just $70 per year, while offering the ability to individually subscribe to their favorite teams instead of all 32.

This decision essentially confirms that the NFL’s choice to ‘price gouge’ violated the federal antitrust law. Yet, as mentioned, this fight is far from over.

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