Claim: The Department of Justice’s investigation into the NFL means no more paid streaming if the NFL’s antitrust exemption is revoked.

Last Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the NFL, examining whether the league’s current media rights practices amount to anticompetitive behavior that has driven up the cost of watching games.

At the center of the issue is Section 1 of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 1291, which grants leagues and their 32 teams limited antitrust protection. This allows them to collectively negotiate national TV rights deals and distribute the revenue evenly across franchises—an arrangement that has long underpinned the NFL’s broadcast model.

However, scrutiny of that framework is intensifying. Last month, Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, formally urged regulators to reexamine the league’s exemption, signaling growing concern in Washington over how games are packaged and sold.

The probe comes as the NFL increasingly splits its media rights across a wide range of streaming platforms, forcing fans to juggle multiple subscriptions to follow the full season—an expensive shift from the broadcast-heavy era that existed when the law was first enacted.

Amid the investigation, influencer Evan Hand has claimed on Instagram, “If the DOJ revokes the NFL’s antitrust exemption, it could mean you never have to pay for another streaming service ever again.”

Our Verdict: Unsubstantiated

First and foremost, the DOJ has only launched an investigation. As The Wall Street Journal noted, “The nature and scope of the investigation couldn’t immediately be learned.” In other words, regulators are still in the early stages, and there is no clear indication that they are aiming to eliminate the antitrust exemption that underpins how the NFL currently works with broadcast partners like CBS, NBC, and Fox.

Even in a more extreme scenario where that exemption is challenged, the process would be far from simple. Congress would need to step in to revoke or amend the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, and any structural change to how the league distributes its games would likely require lengthy legal battles. That makes the idea of a sweeping, immediate shift—like free access to all games—highly unlikely. 

For now, the focus appears to be on whether the growing role of streaming within current media deals is unfair to fans. And even if regulators ultimately find fault and the exemption is removed, the outcome may not favor viewers. Instead of selling rights collectively, all 32 teams could begin negotiating their own individual deals with different broadcasters and streaming platforms. 

That fragmentation would likely make watching games even more complicated—and potentially more expensive—as teams seek to maximize their own revenues. After all, every franchise is incentivized to generate as much income as possible to stay competitive. While some games could return to free-to-air television or certain packages might become simpler or slightly cheaper, fans would still likely need to pay to access a full season. 

Frank Hawkins summed it up clearly: “The NFL can sell its games to whoever it wants,” Hawkins told ESPN. “They just have to be ready to defend it in an antitrust case. And they are the most fan-friendly of the sports leagues in the way they set up their television, so they would have a good case.”

Additionally, the NFL itself maintains that it remains one of the most accessible leagues for viewers. Around 87% of its games are still available on local television, and even when matchups are placed on streaming platforms, they are typically simulcast in the local markets of the teams involved.

Our Fact-Checking Sources

• The Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2026. Justice Department Opens Investigation Into NFL
• ESPN, April 10, 2026. What the DOJ’s NFL investigation could mean for networks, fans
• Evan Hand, April 9, 2026. Instagram (Post)
• Awful Announcing, April 10, 2026. The NFL will never lose its antitrust exemption, no matter how much D.C. cries foul
• GovInfo. Act of September 30, 1961