The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether the National Football League has adopted anti-competitive practices that harm consumers.
The information comes from the Wall Street Journal, which published an article citing people familiar with the matter this Thursday (9).
The nature and scope of the investigation could not immediately be determined, according to the WSJ.
The and the US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
In February, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it was reviewing the growing migration of live sports from broadcast TV to paid services and subscription platforms.
A stated that more than 87% of its games are broadcast on free-to-air TV and that all matches are shown free of charge in the participating teams’ local markets.
The has been investigating whether the NFL is violating antitrust laws by transferring broadcasting rights to streaming platforms, a Semafor reporter said on the social network X.
The FCC said that last year, NFL games were shown on 10 different services and cited estimates that a consumer could spend more than $1,500 to watch every game.
