NFL must pay Sunday Ticket subscribers more than $4 billion, jury rules

Being an NFL fan is expensive if you purchase the Sunday Ticket broadcast package.

After a looming legal battle, paying customers may finally get some respite.

A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Thursday ordered an NFL team to pay more than $4.7 billion in damages after ruling that the league violated antitrust laws by broadcasting out-of-market games on Sunday afternoons through its “Sunday Ticket” premium subscription service.

Here’s what you need to know about the jury’s ruling against the NFL in this case.

NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit

The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to individual subscribers and $96 million to Sunday Ticket commercial subscribers. Under federal antitrust laws, those damages could be tripled, potentially exposing the NFL to liability for up to $14.39 billion.

The jury found that the league violated antitrust law by selling “Sunday Ticket” exclusively through DirecTV at an inflated price. This limited the subscriber base, meeting CBS and Fox’s concerns about maintaining local ratings, while allowing the NFL to earn significant revenue from broadcast rights.

How much does the NFL Sunday Ticket package cost?

NFL Sunday Ticket bundle now available on YouTube TV. DirecTV lost its 28-year hold on Sunday Ticket for consumers when Google signed a seven-year deal with the NFL to sell the bundle through YouTube.

Prices vary depending on the supplier.

For YouTube TV the package costs:

Sunday NFL game ticket: About $349 per season.
NFL Sunday Ticket with NFL RedZone: approximately $389 per season.

For Primetime YouTube channels:

Sunday NFL game ticket: About $449 per season.
NFL Sunday Ticket from NFL RedZone: approximately $489 per season.

NFL Sunday Ticket Plaintiffs

The lawsuit says the “Sunday Ticket” package affected more than 2.4 million individual subscribers and 48,000 businesses. The businesses involved are bars and restaurants that purchased “NFL Sunday Ticket” between June 17, 2011 and February 7, 2023.

According to business writer Joe Pompliano, sports bars need NFL Sunday Ticket to broadcast live games, but the cost of a subscription package can be crippling for smaller businesses.

“Commercial buyers of the NFL Sunday Ticket package (think: bars and restaurants) must pay between $6,000 and $78,000 annually for the service, depending on the size of the establishment,” he said. “And bar owners have long said the gaming package makes it harder for small businesses to make a profit.”

Will Texans Get Compensated for NFL Sunday Ticket Lawsuit?

Although a jury awarded prizes to NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers, the NFL plans to appeal the verdict.

“We will certainly challenge this decision because we believe the class action claims in this case are without merit and without merit,” the league said. “We thank the jury for its time and service and for the guidance and supervision of Judge (Philip) Gutierrez throughout the process.”

Consideration of post-trial motions, including one to overturn the verdict, will take place on July 31. If the ruling is upheld, the NFL plans to appeal until the 9th.^t Court of appeal.

If the NFL is ultimately ordered to pay damages, each of the 32 teams could be liable for approximately $449.6 million.

When did the NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit start?

According to ESPN, the lawsuit was originally filed in 2015 by San Francisco sports bar Mucky Duck, but was dismissed in 2017. Two years later, 9^t The Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over California and eight other states, reopened the case.