Lawmakers question rising NFL streaming costs for fans
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, addresses a congressional hearing probing the NFL’s streaming practices and rising costs for fans. Jordan discusses the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act and antitrust concerns, as fans face exorbitant prices to access all games across multiple platforms. He emphasizes the need for affordable access to NFL content for all constituents, not just those who can afford expensive packages.
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It is no secret that it’s much harder to find a primetime NFL game thanks to streaming services taking over.
Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and Netflix each have scored exclusive rights to specific games, and that may just be the tip of the iceberg. The new way of watching sports, which is also more expensive than ever, was recently called into question during a hearing regarding the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
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Andrew Whitworth looks on from the “TNF on Prime” set before an NFL game between the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Andrew Whitworth is one of the faces of Amazon Prime Video’s NFL coverage, and while he believes in not “put[ting] the genie back in the bottle,” he also understands fans’ frustrations.
“I get it. I get that fans are trying to figure out the landscape of how they want to watch this or that or anything else,” Whitworth told Fox News Digital about the new “road we’ve gone down.”
However, Whitworth also believes that watching sports is hardly any different from finding one’s favorite movies or television shows that are stretched across certain services.
“It’s always the most complicated thing ever when I’m like, ‘Oh, I heard I should watch this show.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, where is that on?’ And so it’s that journey you go on to figure out what service has this TV show that you want to watch that somebody told you about or whatever,” Whitworth said. “I think that’s just kind of where this stuff is at this time. I don’t think I have a great answer for what a fan or somebody should do other than that’s kind of the world we live in…
Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams talks with Andrew Whitworth on the “Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football” postshow set after the NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Dec. 21, 2023. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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“I think sports is right along with where entertainment is, and right now a lot of that is you go to these specific places to watch these specific things. I think it’s just kind of the world we’re in right now. I think it’s all starting to figure itself out. And I’m sure, as with anything else in the world, we’ll find ways to simplify it and make it easier. But right now it feels like everyone’s establishing themselves and where they fit in the industry. Then I think, over time, we’ll start to see the process get simpler.”
If one were to strictly stream all NFL games throughout the 2025 season on Sunday Ticket, Netflix, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN Unlimited and NFL+, it would have cost a minimum of $575, and for others (prior Sunday Ticket watchers) nearly $800.
The sports leagues have cashed in on the pivot to streaming, with the NFL landing $1 billion a year to air “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon as an example. The Sports Broadcasting Act exemption passed in 1961 applies only to broadcast television.
Andrew Whitworth talks on the set of the “Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football” postgame show after the NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Oct. 19, 2023. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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Courts have ruled in the past that it does not apply to other media, including cable, satellite and streaming. The Sports Broadcasting Act includes a rule allowing blackouts of local games, which still applies to out-of-market packages sold by the leagues.
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