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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league remains defiant in the wake of initially losing its Sunday Ticket lawsuit.
“Well, we obviously disagree with the jury verdict and we are committed obviously to following the legal process,” Goodell said on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN). “It’s a long process. We’re aware of that. But we feel very strongly about our position, our policies, particularly on media, that we make our sport available to the broadest possible audience. Sunday Ticket is just a complementary product, so we’re committed to following the litigation all the way and making sure that we get this right.”
In June, a jury ruled in favor of the plaintiffs to the tune of $4.7 billion in damages. The plaintiffs argued in the suit the NFL violated antitrust rules by not only charging a premium fee for Sunday Ticket but also limiting it to one satellite provider. The package was exclusive to DirecTV before shifting to YouTube TV ahead of the 2023 season.
Even for a league that generated $13 billion in annual revenue, per Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen, the damages represent a substantial amount of money.
Beyond the financial aspect of the suit is how much it could upend the sports media landscape for more than just the NFL. Media rights represent a large chunk of revenue for every major sports league in the United States, and each league offers its own standalone streaming package for out-of-market games.
Depending on how the ongoing litigation ends, the current model could dramatically shift in order for other leagues to avoid similar suits.
Michael McCann of Sportico reported the NFL filed a new motion calling the jury’s decision “nonsensical” and “irrational” while also criticizing the presiding judge’s decision to allow one juror to serve who had paid for Sunday Ticket in the past. The juror wasn’t a part of the class-action suit, though.
Despite the jury’s verdict, the litigation remains far from over and Goodell made it clear the NFL will continue to contest the outcome.