At their annual owners’ meeting in Phoenix, there is a lot for the owners to smile about with TV ratings soaring to unprecedented heights, their franchises selling for more money than ever before, and taking another giant leap in expanding their presence throughout the world, even in flag football. But behind the scenes, a whole new conversation is beginning to brew. The league’s antitrust exemption on TV contracts, which was thought to be untouchable, is now under a new level of scrutiny by the media and the world of politics.

“As the NFL tries to get more money from broadcast networks, a major publication owned by FOX owner Rupert Murdoch takes aim at the NFL’s broadcast antitrust exemption,” ProFootballTalk posted on X.

Rupert Murdoch reportedly used his Wall Street Journal to question the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell: “Today the NFL is the powerful giant while the broadcasters are weak. Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to take advantage of this dominance by renegotiating with the networks. In 2021, the NFL finished a package of broadcast deals, including with CBS, Fox, and NBC, that were meant to run through 2033. The rights fee roughly doubled.”

The NFL made a huge TV contract in 2021 with CBS, Fox, and NBC that goes through 2033, but even halfway through this contract, the league is looking to increase its money even more. They do this by using strategic pressure, essentially saying to TV networks: increase your payments, or risk losing games to platforms like Amazon or YouTube.

“Mr. Goodell is using the threat of an early opt-out provision to change the terms only halfway through the deals,” as per the board of the Wall Street Journal. “The assumption is that he thinks he can get more money from big tech’s streaming services than he can from his long-time TV partners. That would hurt the networks, especially local stations, that rely on the NFL for ad revenue. Live sports are one of the last drivers of large audiences, and the advertising funds local news and reporting.”

This puts traditional broadcasters in a tight spot. If they do not agree to increase the payment, they risk losing access to valuable content that drives their viewership. If they do agree, they are forced to make a payment that is significantly higher than what they had planned for.

The NFL has this power because of its antitrust exemption, which allows the league’s 32 teams to collectively negotiate their broadcasting rights. In a normal industry, this is not possible for competing companies. However, the NFL is different because of its exemption, which allows it to sign a massive TV deal as a whole, where every team gets an equal share.

The NFL is reportedly asking CBS to increase its payment for Sunday games from 2.1 billion dollars to 3 billion annually. If that happens, similar demands could follow for other networks, including FOX.

Rupert Murdoch, through his Wall Street Journal, questioned the NFL’s antitrust exemption, aiming to reduce the league’s leverage and shift some power back to broadcasters.

Streaming is the key factor strengthening the NFL’s position. With Amazon already holding Thursday Night Football and YouTube owning NFL Sunday Ticket, the league has strong alternatives. This makes traditional networks more replaceable and weakens their bargaining power.

At the same time, there is pushback. Notably, Murdoch isn’t the first one.

FCC chairman questions NFL’s antitrust exemption 

NFL fans may soon have to pay a lot more to watch every game. This would mean, by 2026, fans would need to subscribe to multiple services such as YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and Netflix, making their annual expenses exceed $1,500, not including the cost of internet service. This, for many fans, is becoming frustrating and unsustainable.

The move towards streaming services has caught the eye of Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC. Improving fan access is now a priority, according to Carr. He has expressed his concern that the NFL could be in danger of losing its antitrust exemption if too many games end up locked behind expensive paywalls.

“Does the NFL still benefit from the antitrust exemption when they’re negotiating for carriage of games not on a sponsored telecast, but on a streaming service?” Carr said at an event on Thursday, via Semafor. “That’s a very live, very ripe question.”

The FCC has already begun to look into this issue. It has asked for public comments on the move of live sports from traditional channels to streaming platforms.

Carr has accepted that increasing costs and the hassle of managing multiple services are a problem for fans. He believes that the negatives of the shift may outweigh the positives.

At the same time, there is another side to consider. Without the exemption, teams would have to sell their media rights individually. Big-market franchises like the Dallas Cowboys could dominate financially, while smaller teams struggle, potentially disrupting the competitive balance that keeps the league strong.

Keeping everything in mind, it remains unclear how this situation will unfold.