A California judge has dismissed a jury verdict that required the NFL to pay over $4.7 billion for anti-trust violations related to its “Sunday Ticket” package. This package allows fans to watch games outside their home markets but necessitates purchasing a bundle of games.
The NFL, a hugely popular television programming source in America, plans to appeal the June verdict. The league expressed gratitude for the ruling in a statement, emphasizing that its media distribution model offers various options for fans to follow the games they love, including local broadcasts on free over-the-air television.
In a court filing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez criticized the expert witnesses’ methodologies in the trial. “The Court agrees that Dr. Rascher’s and Dr. Zona’s testimonies based on their flawed methodologies should be excluded,” the filing stated. “And because there was no other support for the class-wide injury and damages elements of Plaintiffs’ claims, judgment as a matter of law for the Defendants is appropriate.”
The judge also noted that the jury’s damage awards were not based on evidence and reasonable inferences but rather on guesswork or speculation.
The case, initiated in 2015, centered on the NFL’s package of out-of-market games not shown nationally. Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the class action suit argued that the NFL forces customers to pay more by restricting broadcasts of these games to the “Sunday Ticket” package. They contended that individual teams would offer their games at competitive prices if acting independently, thanks to the relatively low cost of internet streaming and satellite/cable television carriage. However, the teams opted for a more lucrative monopoly instead.
Had the anti-trust case’s verdict been upheld, the NFL would have faced $14.1 billion in damages due to the nature of the anti-trust matter.
This story has been updated with additional context.