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The NFL is currently staring down the barrel of a de facto fine that could end up surpassing over $14 billion thanks to an antitrust lawsuit concerning its Sunday Ticket television package, and longtime insider Mike Florio thinks fans who are entitled to compensation could end up getting a very hefty check when the dust finally settles.
It’s been close to a decade since the NFL found itself facing a class-action lawsuit that asserted the league had engaged in anticompetitive behavior by overcharging fans and businesses that broadcasted its games over its approach to Sunday Ticket.
The crux of the argument was that the NFL gouged subscribers thanks to the price of a package that could only be obtained via DirectTV before YouTubeTV acquired the rights in 2023 and was essentially able to get away with doing so because Sunday Ticket was (and still is) the only way for people in the United States to legally watch out-of-market games.
The league did everything in its power to get the lawsuit dismissed but was ultimately unable to prevent it from going to trial in a federal court in Los Angeles earlier this month.
It’s safe to say the jury did not see in favor of the NFL based on what transpired when it reached a verdict on Thursday after determining it must fork out more than $4.7 billion to the various Sunday Ticket subscribers that were wronged (a number that rises to around $14.1 billion thanks to a legal quirk that automatically triples the sum handed out in an antitrust case).
Now, there’s little doubt the NFL would appeal the ruling until every single option is exhausted, and there’s zero doubt a very large chunk of any sum it’s eventually forced to forfeit will end up in the hands of the attorneys who argued the case.
With that said, Mike Florio appears to think the 2.4 million people who are currently entitled to the $4.7 billion reserved for “residential subscribers” (a.k.a. fans who watched at home as opposed to the bars and restaurants that will have to settle for the relatively paltry $96 million they’ll have to split) could walk away with between $3,000 and $5,000 if the ruling ultimately stands.
“If this is the final number the judge will be responsible for deciding how the money gets split up..
My rough math at this point would suggest that you’re looking at 3-4,000 dollars per person”@ProFootballTalk #PMSLive https://t.co/e5pAcFS4sr pic.twitter.com/z0rDU0Lj0Q
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 28, 2024
Florio noted it will likely take between two and three years for the final number to get set in stone (assuming it doesn’t plummet to $0 if the NFL gets its way), but I think most people on the receiving end of a check like that would agree it’s worth the wait.