{"id":2589076,"date":"2026-04-09T19:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/department-of-justice-launches-investigation-into-the-nfl-report\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T19:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:49:07","slug":"department-of-justice-launches-investigation-into-the-nfl-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/department-of-justice-launches-investigation-into-the-nfl-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Justice Launches Investigation Into the NFL: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdepartment-of-justice-launches-investigation-into-the-nfl-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2589076&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Department of Justice is reportedly launching an antitrust inquiry into the NFL\u2019s broadcasting deals and the rise of paid streaming platforms,focusing on whether consumers are paying too much and whether the market remains fair for providers. NBC News cited unnamed sources indicating the investigation centers on affordability for viewers as rights are sold across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/netflix-shares-lose-40-percent-of-value-since-start-of-2022\/\" title=\"Netflix Shares Lose 40 Percent of Value Since Start of 2022\">multiple streaming services<\/a>. In response, Republican Senator Mike Lee urged authorities to review the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, arguing that modern paywalls and streaming fragmentation may not fit the act\u2019s original rationale and calling for an examination of its applicability to today\u2019s media landscape. Lee noted that fans now need multiple subscriptions and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-revives-obama-broadband-boondoggle\/\" title=\"Biden Revives Obama Broadband Boondoggle\">high-speed internet<\/a> to watch all NFL games, highlighting concerns about consumer costs and confusion. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >broader debate reflects ongoing worries<\/a> among regulators and lawmakers about how new sports-broadcasting rights deals affect accessibility and competition.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice has reportedly launched an investigation into the National Football League over anticompetitive tactics that could harm the public.<\/p>\n<p>NBC News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/sports\/nfl\/justice-department-investigating-nfl-subscription-fees-source-says-rcna267454\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> Thursday that the federal government is investigating whether the NFL is charging consumers too much, now that games are broadcast across multiple streaming platforms that require paid subscriptions.<\/p>\n<p>The story cited two unnamed sources who are &ldquo;familiar with the investigation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department&rsquo;s investigation into the NFL is &ldquo;about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers,&rdquo; one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-video-claims-to-show-a-may-29-march-in-london-against-covid-19-vaccine-passports\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Video Claims To Show A May 29 March In London Against COVID-19 Vaccine Passports\">government official told<\/a> the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Regulators, lawmakers, and media outlets have voiced concerns over the past several years about how difficult it has become for consumers to watch their preferred sports games as a result of these new rights deals.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In early March, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lee.senate.gov\/services\/files\/A820C118-2F19-4243-BC9E-C51A085C2D13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter<\/a> to Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson about &ldquo;a new trend in televised sports that may harm American sports fans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To watch every NFL game during this past season, football fans spent almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions,&rdquo; Lee wrote.<\/p>\n<p>He added, &ldquo;In practice, this requires subscribing to multiple streaming services and maintaining high-speed internet in addition to a traditional cable or satellite bundle.<\/p>\n<p>The resulting fragmentation has produced consumer confusion and increasing costs for viewers attempting to watch their teams.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Exclusive: The NFL is under investigation by the Justice Department over its broadcasting deals <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SQxG6moOrJ\">https:\/\/t.co\/SQxG6moOrJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WSJ\/status\/2042249401901412845?\">April 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Utah Republican cited the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which granted limited antitrust immunity to allow professional football teams to &ldquo;collectively license the &lsquo;sponsored telecasts&rsquo; of their games to national broadcast networks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, he said the &ldquo;modern distribution environment differs substantially from the conditions that precipitated this exemption&rdquo; and argued that paywalls and streaming services amount to a setup that &ldquo;may no longer align with the statutory concept of sponsored telecasting or the consumer-access rationale underlying the antitrust exemption.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Accordingly, I request that your antitrust enforcement agencies examine the Sports Broadcasting Act and its applicability to the current media landscape,&rdquo; Lee concluded.<\/p>\n<p>He also commented after news of the investigation broke.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Much has changed in sports broadcasting since 1961, raising new questions about the NFL&rsquo;s antitrust exemption,&rdquo; the GOP lawmaker said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad the DOJ is tackling this important issue, as I urged them to do last month.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are two paraphrase options of the main passage (excluding the code and extraneous text):<\/p>\n<p>Option 1 &#8211; concise<br \/>\nThe Department of Justice is reportedly examining the NFL for potential anticompetitive conduct that could hurt the public. NBC News says investigators are probing whether the NFL is overcharging fans now that games are available on several paid streaming services. The story cites two anonymous sources familiar with the investigation. A government official says the probe centers on consumer affordability and creating a level playing field for providers. Regulators and lawmakers have long warned that new rights deals have made it harder for fans to watch their preferred games.<\/p>\n<p>Option 2 &#8211; a bit more detailed<br \/>\nThe DOJ is reportedly investigating the NFL for possible anticompetitive practices that might harm consumers. NBC News reports that federal investigators are looking into whether the NFL is charging too much now that games are broadcast across multiple paid streaming platforms. The article references two unnamed sources familiar with the inquiry. One official said the investigation focuses on affordability for consumers and ensuring fair competition among providers. In recent years, regulators, lawmakers, and media outlets have expressed concern that these new rights deals have made it harder for fans to watch their favorite games.<\/p>\n<p>If you want, I can tailor the paraphrase to a specific length or tone (more formal, more concise, etc.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2589077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DOJ-investigates-NFL.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[70371,7076,3976,7215,73427],"class_list":["post-2589076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-breaking-news-2","tag-doj","tag-investigation","tag-nfl","tag-sports-news-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DOJ-investigates-NFL.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2589076"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2589080,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589076\/revisions\/2589080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2589077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2589076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2589076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2589076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}