Los Angeles – The federal jury has ordered the NFL to pay damages for violating antitrust laws with a subscription package to broadcast Sunday afternoon games outside of the teams’ cities is $4,707,259,944.64 (more than $4.707 billion).
The figures from the verdict issued June 27 against the NFL were listed in a form posted Tuesday in the case file.
The lawsuit covers 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 commercial establishments in the United States who paid for a Sunday Ticket package on DirecTV to receive games from the 2011 to 2022 seasons.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones arrives at federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (Damian Dovarganes)
According to the lawsuit, the league violated antitrust laws by selling the package at an inflated price. The subscribers also claim that the league restricted competition by offering the Sunday Ticket only through a satellite TV provider.
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The jury of five men and three women found the NFL liable for $4,610,331,671.74 in damages to the residential class (domestic subscribers) and $96,928,272.90 in damages to the commercial class (subscribing establishments).
The severance payout can be split evenly among the 32 teams, meaning each would owe $441.3 million.
During deliberations, the jury asked for data on the number of subscribers during each year the class action was active. It also asked about the cost of each type of Sunday Ticket subscription.
The jury also requested reports from four economists who testified on behalf of the plaintiffs and produced at the time with the NFL, but these were not accepted as evidence.
Judge Philip S. Gutierrez is scheduled to hear post-trial motions on July 31, including the NFL’s request that he rule in favor of the league after determining that the plaintiffs failed to prove their case.
The NFL has said it will appeal the verdict. Its appeal is expected to be heard in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
It could even reach the Supreme Court.
Payment of severance pay, any changes to the Sunday Ticket package and/or the ways in which the NFL broadcasts its Sunday afternoon games will be put on hold until the appeals process is complete.
2024-07-04 14:19:00
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