What Does the Landmark NFL Sunday Ticket Verdict Mean for Fans?

The NFL has been ordered to pay a whopping $14 billion to fans and bars after a jury ruled in favor of consumers in a landmark antitrust case. But what does this mean for subscribers who have been paying for Sunday Ticket through DirecTV? And how will this verdict change the way the NFL makes out-of-market games available?

The NFL’s Sunday Ticket package has been at the center of a long-running antitrust case.

The verdict is a monumental loss for the NFL, and it could have significant implications for the league’s business model. But before we get into the details, let’s take a step back and look at what this means for fans.

Who Qualifies for Payouts?

The class action suit is casting a wide net, and any commercial or residential subscribers who had Sunday Ticket on DirecTV between June 17, 2011, and February 7, 2023, are eligible. That’s a lot of people, and it’s likely that millions of subscribers will be affected.

DirecTV has been the exclusive provider of Sunday Ticket for years, but that could change in the future.

When Will Subscribers Get Their Money?

The short answer is that it’s going to take a while. The NFL will likely appeal the verdict, and the case could drag on for years. Even if the NFL loses its appeal, the payouts won’t happen overnight. The courts will have to review and approve the amount of damages, and that process could take months or even years.

How Much Money Are We Talking About?

The jury has ordered the NFL to pay $4.7 billion in damages, which will be tripled to $14 billion under federal antitrust law. But how much of that money will actually make it to subscribers? It’s hard to say, but estimates suggest that each of the 2.4 million residential class members could get an average of $3,450 apiece.

The payouts could be significant, but it’s going to take a while for subscribers to see any money.

Is This the Amount the Plaintiffs Wanted?

No, the plaintiffs were seeking $7 billion in damages, which would have been tripled to $21 billion under federal antitrust law. The jury came up with its own model for what it felt the plaintiffs deserved.

The jury’s verdict was a surprise to many, but it’s far from the end of the road in this case.

Is Sunday Ticket Going to Get Less Expensive?

Probably not anytime soon. Any changes required by the NFL for the Sunday Ticket offering are stayed on appeal, which means the league won’t have to make any adjustments until the appeals process is over. And even then, it’s unclear what changes might be made.

The future of Sunday Ticket is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the NFL is going to have to make some changes.

So How Likely Is It That These Payouts Actually Hit Consumers?

It all depends on how the case does in court, or whether the NFL decides to settle with the plaintiffs’ attorneys out of court. The league has been happy to contest it in the legal system, and this litigation has been working its way through the courts for nearly a decade. It’s not inconceivable that 2010s Sunday Ticket subscribers could get a check with a couple of thousand dollars from the NFL, but we’re a long way from that day.

The payouts could be significant, but it’s going to take a while for subscribers to see any money.