Following his retirement from football, NFL legend Tom Brady became a popular face on FOX Sports, analyzing games alongside Kevin Burkhardt. But with the Department of Justice and Congress getting actively involved in the investigation of the NFL’s antitrust exemption, FOX could face major challenges in the future, putting Brady’s profession at risk as well.

The issue arose after the Federal Communications Commission found that fans paid over $1,500 to enjoy all the games across platforms last season. Even Forbes revealed that 10 streamers had exclusive rights to 20 regular-season games, making it more of a financial pressure than watching their favorite team play. Following the House Judiciary Committee’s two-hour-long hearing on Wednesday and Congress asking questions, FOX could be the one whose contract with the NFL comes under scrutiny.

“Looming over the hearing was the reality that much of the current political scrutiny of the NFL’s antitrust exemption traces to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch, whose network faces a potential effort by the league to get more money under contracts that apply through the 2029 season,” wrote Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk.

“Perhaps not coincidentally, Murdoch employee Clay Travis testified at the hearing — and he pulled no punches about the impact of the NFL’s embrace of streaming on football fans. Although most of what he said is accurate, none of it will mend fences between the NFL and Fox. And that could further jeopardize Fox’s ability to retain an NFL package after 2029.”

They titled the report presented on Wednesday, The Sports Broadcasting Act: A special-interest antitrust exemption gone awry.

It explores the league’s Sunday Ticket offering. The report uses the ongoing Sunday Ticket antitrust case as one of its many issues.

Initially, CBS had the rights to the Sunday afternoon NFC package. But in 1994, FOX took it from them, and for the next 32 years, they have held the rights solely. Currently, their contract runs until 2033, with the option to opt out in 2029. Despite paying $2.2 billion annually for its broadcast package, the NFL is eyeing an opt-out in 2029 and renegotiating with a higher value.

While FOX employee Clay Travis also let loose on the situation, with the NFL trying to jeopardize the package, it was FOX owner Rupert Murdoch who first raised concern over the issue. Because of the growing issues between the NFL and the traditional broadcasters, Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal challenged the NFL’s antitrust exemption.

It said that the league is threatening traditional broadcasters like FOX and CBS and trying to demand higher media rights fees, or they may opt out in 2029. With streaming platforms gaining a lot of popularity in the last few years, the league is eyeing those platforms as the next big thing in broadcasting the games. Currently, they already have contracts with Amazon Prime and Netflix. But if the league shifts to OTT platforms for streaming, it not only threatens the local TV stations, but fans will have to pay more subscription fees than usual.

Moreover, free accessibility of games will become a thing of the past. With Murdoch leading the high-stakes media rights clash, there is a possibility that the NFL may opt out in the coming years. If that happens, FOX will end up with no NFL broadcast rights and lose a major chunk of their viewership. It could also see them letting go of legends like Tom Brady, who is under a 10-year contract, worth $375 million.

While the rift seems to get more serious between the broadcasters and the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell is still eyeing a massive payday in the upcoming years.

Roger Goodell still aims to bring billions more to the NFL

Clay Travis has spoken on the matter, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has declined to say anything. The only thing that he seems to be focused on is getting a better media rights contract for the NFL. Recently, Paramount and UFC agreed to an $8 billion contract, which is a 1000 times improvement since their first media contract 15 years ago. Even the NBA signed a massive contract a few years ago. However, Goodell seems to be planning something even greater.

Currently, the NFL has a $110 billion media rights contract, spanning over a decade. However, research publisher MoffettNathanson predicted that the NFL’s new contract could result in them earning $15.9 billion annually, representing a 58% increase compared to their current contract. Unfortunately, this means either extracting more money from their current broadcasters or bringing the OTT platforms into play.

The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 allows the league to pool its television rights, but only if they satisfy a specific condition: they need to provide the games for free public viewing and ensure broad accessibility. But under that rule, the NFL seems to have found a loophole. The SBA only speaks about cable TV. So, their is no restrictions on approaching streaming platforms with massive offers.

With everything ongoing, time is ticking for everyone. Will Congress and the DOJ take any further actions against the NFL? Will FOX lose its NFL media rights after 32 years? Or will Tom Brady be seen analysing NFL games on Sunday on streaming platforms? Where will NFC games be broadcast? A lot of questions are circulating with barely any answers.