New York Fans Could Get Small Share of $4.7 Billion from NFL After Lawsuit

A jury has ruled that the National Football League violated antitrust laws, and fans across the country are set to benefit from that decision.

ESPN and other sources confirmed that a U.S. District Court has ordered the NFL to pay roughly $4.7 billion in damages to fans who had purchased their NFL Sunday Ticket streaming service.

In addition, the league was ordered to pay out $96 million in damages to bars who had purchased the service. Those totals will be paid out to 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses, all of whom are considered to be victims in this suit.

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From 2011 through 2022, fans purchased NFL Sunday Ticket in order to watch out-of-market games each week. The service was available exclusively on DirecTV, a fact which ended up triggering this lawsuit.

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Per ESPN, the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of Sunday games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering "Sunday Ticket" only on a satellite provider.

ESPN's report also notes that the NFL could be held liable for up to $14.39 billion, as damages can be tripled under federal antitrust laws.

The NFL does plan to appeal this verdict, and all payment of damages will not proceed until all appeals have been heard, and a final verdict has once again been rendered.

This case began in 2015, when a San Francisco bar filed suit against the league. It was dismissed, but re-activated two years later, and now, fans in New York and across the country are set to benefit.