For NFL fans who want to enjoy every game on schedule, the 2026 season is expected to be a Herculean task. The league continues to grow with its schedule this season, featuring 34 games scheduled to take place between Tuesday and Saturday, and to cater to its myriad of broadcasting partners. While this move is expected to pay huge dividends for the league, it is hurting local fans, who may be required to pay over $1000 to watch every game.

“Add it all up, to watch every NFL game this upcoming season, the cost is over $1,000. You read that correctly: It could cost more than $1,000 to take in NFL games not at a stadium but from the comfort of your own home,” Washington Examiner’s Joe Concha wrote. “The average cost of an NFL game ticket in 1996 was $35. To see all eight home games, the total cost was $280. Throw in parking and concessions, and it’s still below the cost to watch all games on TV in 2026.”

Joe Concha’s remarks about the NFL stem from the league’s push to a new era of sports broadcasting, where streaming platforms are the market leaders over traditional TV broadcasts. With the NFL moving in this new direction, it has partnered with Netflix, Prime Video, NFL Network, NBC, FOX, CBS, ESPN+, Paramount+, YouTube TV, and NFL Sunday Ticket. Those who wish to subscribe to these streaming services will be paying between $800 and $1,200.

The NFL’s current media distribution contracts require fans to have a subscription to watch MNF games on ESPN, which aren’t available to stream on ABC. Similarly, Thursday Night Football Games and Black Friday games can only be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, whereas Christmas and Thanksgiving Games are scheduled for Netflix.

The NFL is currently facing growing scrutiny over its streaming, with the Department of Justice launching an investigation into the league’s broadcast practices in 2026. While the exact “nature and scope of the investigation” is not known, according to an exclusive report by WSJ, the investigation can involve the league’s ability to allow the teams to negotiate their own streaming rights.

Sen. Mike Lee, who wrote a letter to the DOJ earlier, requesting them to review the NFL’s media distribution rights and if they align with the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, wrote,

“Instead of a small number of free broadcast networks, the NFL now licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and technology companies operating under different business models. To the extent collectively licensed game packages are placed behind subscription paywalls, these arrangements may no longer align with the statutory concept of sponsored telecasting or the consumer-access rationale underlying the antitrust exemption.”

Then, over the last two weeks, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was summoned by House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, to discuss the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA) of 1961.

“We respectfully request your testimony at a hearing titled ‘Examining the Sports Broadcasting Act’ on June 10, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building,” Jim Jordan’s letter read. “This hearing will examine the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA) of 1961 and its effect on the modern broadcast market for major sports leagues.”

The letter went into detail about the significant transformation in sports broadcasting since this legislation’s inception 65 years ago. It also highlighted how professional leagues and their various broadcast partners are increasing the cost for consumers attempting to watch their favorite teams. Furthermore, the hearing will also have a testimony from Goodell and a question-and-answer session where the committee hopes to understand whether “potential legislative remedies may be needed to address that harm,” the letter added.

The NFL is facing scrutiny from various avenues regarding its shift towards streaming platforms, which is directly leading to an astronomical rise in costs to watch every game on the schedule. However, this hasn’t stopped the league from backing its new form of broadcasting.

NFL backs its shift towards streaming platforms despite continued criticism

Despite the government and the fans being unhappy with the NFL’s new broadcasting direction, the league is not backing away from its commitment to these streaming services. Last month, when the 2026 schedule was announced, NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder was asked whether the league considers this new form of broadcasting viable for its fans.

Schroeder defended this shift by highlighting how this new model caters to a global fan base and takes its support to places where a local TV broadcast can’t reach.

“We love our model,” he said, per ESPN. “We think we have the most fan-friendly model there is of any sport or entertainment as far as distribution. We think broadcast [networks] have been an incredible home. And now we also know fans are increasingly spending their time on other platforms as well. They tune into broadcasts for the NFL, and that’s where we want to be. But we also want to be on these platforms with a limited amount of our games where we know our NFL fans are already as well.”

The NFL’s broadcasting model is evolving fast, but the cost burden it places on fans cannot be ignored. With government scrutiny mounting and lawmakers pushing for reform, the league will have to find a way to balance its global ambitions with the needs of the fans at home.