DOJ opens investigation into NFL
The attack on the league's antitrust exemption intensifies.
The DOJ is coming for the NFL. The Wall Street Journal reports that the U. S.
Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether the NFL has "engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers. " The "nature and scope," per the report, isn't currently known. Both the DOJ and the NFL declined comment.
The article focuses on the Sports Broadcast Act of 1961, which gives the league an antitrust exemption when it comes to the negotiation of TV rights. The move comes at a time when both the FCC and Congress have made plenty of noise about the viability of the antitrust exemption as the NFL moves more games from free, over-the-air networks to streaming platforms. And it's possibly no coincidence that the Wall Street Journal got the scoop.
It's ultimately owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox. Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial that openly questions whether the NFL still "deserves" the antitrust exemption. Without it, the NFL would have a major problem.