Judge Overturns $4.7 Billion Verdict in NFL 'Sunday Ticket' Case
A California judge has overturned a jury verdict that ordered the NFL to pay over $4.7 billion for antitrust violations related to its “Sunday Ticket” package, which allows fans to watch games outside their local markets but requires purchasing access to a bundle of games.
The NFL, which is a leading provider of television content in the U.S., announced in June its intention to appeal the verdict.
In response to the ruling, the NFL expressed its gratitude, stating, “We believe that the NFL’s media distribution model offers fans various options to follow their favorite games, including local broadcasts of every game on free over-the-air television.”
In a court filing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez criticized the expert witnesses' methodologies used during the trial. The filing noted, “The Court agrees that the testimonies of Dr. Rascher and Dr. Zona, based on flawed methodologies, should be excluded. Since there was no other support for the class-wide injury and damages claims, judgment in favor of the Defendants is appropriate.”
The filing also stated that the jury's damages awards appeared to be based on “guesswork or speculation” rather than solid evidence.
The case, initiated in 2015, centered on the NFL’s policy of restricting broadcasts of “out-of-market” games to the “Sunday Ticket” package. Plaintiffs argued that this restriction forces customers, who only want to watch a specific team or a few teams, to pay more. They claimed that if teams acted independently, they could offer games at competitive prices, but instead, they created a monopoly.
If upheld, the verdict could have tripled the damages to $14.1 billion due to the case’s antitrust nature.
CNN’s Chris Isidore contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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