NFL Faces New Trial to Set Sunday Ticket Lawsuit Damages

WHO:

Deadline - The NFL, led by Roger Goodell, is involved in the Sunday Ticket antitrust lawsuit.

Variety - The class-action lawsuit involves the NFL and its partners, as well as subscribers to the league’s Sunday Ticket out-of-market games package.

WHAT:

NBC Sports - The Ninth Circuit said the jury awarded damages based on improper consideration of evidence rather than the district court’s instructions, and ordered the district court to reinstate the jury’s liability verdict and hold a new damages trial.

NBC Sports - The original jury award was issued in July 2024; the trial judge set it aside over concerns about evidence of economic harm presented by plaintiffs.

NBC Sports - If damages become an official judgment, they will be tripled.

NBC Sports - The original verdict would have required each NFL team to pay $440 million, with statutory interest increasing that amount.

NBC Sports - The NFL is expected to appeal a final decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which must first decide whether to accept the case.

NBC Sports - The jury’s finding that the NFL violated antitrust laws remained in place after the trial judge threw out the damages award.

NBC Sports - The NFL’s current Sunday Ticket deal with YouTube runs through 2029.

Variety - A federal appeals court ordered a new trial to determine the financial damages the NFL must pay affected Sunday Ticket subscribers.

Variety - Subscribers alleged they were overcharged by the NFL and its partners for Sunday Ticket.

Deadline - The earlier verdict called for a $4.7 billion payout.

Deadline - The NFL said it was “disappointed” and was “Considering Our Options” in response to the new trial order.

WHERE:

Variety - The appeals court that ordered the new trial was the 9th Circuit.

WHY:

NBC Sports - The article says Sunday Ticket pricing was designed to mollify CBS and Fox, which paid substantial fees to broadcast games in their markets.

Variety - The new trial is to determine financial damages in the class-action lawsuit over alleged overcharges for Sunday Ticket.

HOW:

NBC Sports - The NFL could replace Sunday Ticket with a less expensive arrangement, potentially distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games across cable channels or streaming services while CBS and Fox continue carrying in-market games.

Variety - The court ordered a new trial focused on setting the amount of financial damages owed to affected subscribers.

Deadline - The dispute concerns an alleged antitrust violation involving the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package.

A federal appeals court reinstated the NFL’s antitrust liability verdict in the Sunday Ticket case. The court ordered a new trial to determine damages for subscribers who alleged overcharging. The original $4.7 billion award was thrown out; any official damages judgment would be tripled.