Current:Home > StocksNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defends ‘Sunday Ticket’ package as a premium product -BeyondWealth Learning
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defends ‘Sunday Ticket’ package as a premium product
View
Date:2025-04-13 20:38:58
LOS ANGELES (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated during testimony in federal court Monday that the league’s “Sunday Ticket” package, the subject of a class-action lawsuit, is a premium product while also defending the league’s broadcast model.
Goodell was called as a witness by the NFL as the trial for the lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers entered its third week.
“We have been clear throughout that it is a premium product. Not just on pricing but quality,” Goodell said during cross-examination in a Los Angeles courtroom. “Fans make that choice whether they wanted it or not. I’m sure there were fans who said it was too costly.”
Goodell, who has been commissioner since 2006, said he believes this is the first time he has been called to testify in federal court during his tenure.
The class-action, which covers 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package from 2011 through 2022, claims the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.
The NFL maintains it has the right to sell “Sunday Ticket” under its antitrust exemption for broadcasting. The plaintiffs say that only covers over-the-air broadcasts and not pay TV.
If the NFL is found liable, a jury could award $7 billion in damages, but that number could balloon to $21 billion because antitrust cases can triple damages.
During the first two weeks of the trial, exhibits by the plaintiffs showed that Fox and CBS have long been concerned about how competition from a more widely distributed “Sunday Ticket” package could affect ratings for locally aired games.
Goodell said the NFL decided to put “Sunday Ticket” on DirecTV from 1994 through 2022 because it was one the few platforms available that had national distribution. He cited the fragmented nature of cable companies for why it wasn’t available on cable.
Goodell also said the league’s broadcast model, where local games are available over the air for all games, is why NFL games are highly rated.
“We sing it from the mountaintops, We want to reach the broadest possible audience on free television,” he said. “I think we are very pro-consumer. Our partners have found ways to build our fan base.”
Goodell also said that one reason the league decided to sell Thursday night games that had been exclusively on NFL Network from 2006 through 2013 to other networks was because of the quality of production.
Thursday night games were shared by CBS and NBC from 2014 through 2016 before Fox aired them for the next five seasons. Amazon Prime Video took over the package in 2022.
“I had my own opinion that our production was below standards that the networks (Fox and CBS) had set. We had not met that standard,” he said.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a member of the league’s media committee, is expected to testify after Goodell.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
veryGood! (6)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- U.S. concerns about TikTok are absolutely valid, expert says
- The summer movies, TV and music we can't wait for
- Meet the eye-opening curator behind hundreds of modern art exhibitions
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Singer, actor and human rights activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96
- Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'
- 18 Top-Rated Moisturizers Under $25: Honest Beauty, Clinique, Mario Badescu, Aveeno, and More
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Walking just 11 minutes per day could lower risk of stroke, heart disease and some cancers significantly, study says
Ranking
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- 'Saint X' turns a teen's mysterious death into a thoughtful, slow-burn melodrama
- The unstoppable appeal of Peso Pluma and the Regional Mexican music scene
- Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Fans throw stuffed toys onto soccer field for children affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
- U.S. concerns about TikTok are absolutely valid, expert says
- Urgent search for infant after U.K. couple arrested following a month living off-grid
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
An upscale inn rarely changed the communal bathwater. A probe found 3,700 times the standard limit of legionella bacteria.
Goldbergs' AJ Michalka Reveals Why She Has It Easy as Co-Star Hayley Orrantia's Bridesmaid
Stories in 'Sidle Creek' offer an insider look at Appalachia
Sam Taylor
Single screenwriters hope to 'Strike Up a Romance' on the picket lines
Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Los Angeles Rape Case
'Are You There God?' adaptation retains the warmth and wit of Judy Blume's classic