The NFL’s Sunday Ticket Saga: What’s Next for the League?

The NFL has been dealt a significant blow, with a jury ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the high-profile Sunday Ticket trial. The league has been ordered to pay a staggering $4.7 billion in damages to residential subscribers, as well as an additional $96 million to business owners. But what does this mean for the future of the NFL’s media rights?

A new era for NFL Sunday Ticket?

The jury’s verdict is a major setback for the NFL, but it’s far from the end of the road. The league will likely file post-trial motions, which will be heard by the trial judge on July 31. If the verdict is not set aside, the judge will then consider possible structural changes to the Sunday Ticket package, as well as the plaintiffs’ lawyers’ request for an award of legal fees.

After that, the NFL will appeal any adverse rulings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Payment of any damages and imposition of any structural changes to NFL Sunday Ticket are expected to be stayed until all appeals have been concluded.

Time to Pay Up?

Pending any inflation under antitrust law, the 2.4 million individual fans in the class-action lawsuit are now owed roughly $1,958 each, with the 48,000 business owners set to receive $2,000 apiece. In total, the $4.796 billion the league owes would cost each team owner nearly $150 million each.

A hefty price tag for the NFL

The NFL’s appeals could take months, if not years, though. So, while fans in the lawsuit received a big win, they won’t see any payments just yet—if ever.

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If the NFL ultimately loses, it may be forced to alter how it sells its media rights. YouTube is currently paying $2 billion annually for NFL Sunday Ticket rights for the remainder of this decade. But should the trial’s result hold up in further appeals, fans could end up seeing teams sell their local rights and out-of-market games end up on various streaming services or cable channels—an idea that the league considered in 2017.

A new era for NFL broadcasting?

For this season, though, there is unlikely to be any impact on how fans watch games. So, if you haven’t already, go ahead and look at your options for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube.