TMCnet News

Robins Kaplan LLP Announces Class Action Against NFL, DirecTV Over Anticompetitive "Sunday Ticket" Package
[August 13, 2015]

Robins Kaplan LLP Announces Class Action Against NFL, DirecTV Over Anticompetitive "Sunday Ticket" Package


National law firm Robins Kaplan LLP filed an antitrust lawsuit today on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of commercial establishments, including restaurants and sports bars, against the National Football League, Inc. (NFL) and DirecTV (News - Alert), alleging that agreements giving DirecTV the sole right to distribute "out-of-market" NFL games-through its popular and expensive "Sunday Ticket" package-violate U.S. antitrust law. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, seeks monetary and injunctive relief on behalf of commercial television subscribers of the Sunday Ticket.

"Fans love watching NFL teams compete on the football field," said Kellie Lerner of Robins Kaplan LLP, the lead attorney for the case. "Unfortunately, when it comes to the live broadcasts of these games, the NFL doesn't seem to like competition that benefits its fans."

The NFL is the only major U.S. spots league that distributes out-of-market games (those not shown on a local or national broadcast) exclusively through a single provider. Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League all offer out-of-market packages through multiple providers, including Time Warner, Dish Network, and others. DirecTV charges commercial subscribers as much as $120,000 per year for access to the Sunday Ticket. Through its latest agreement with the NFL, DirecTV paid the league $1.5 billion for exclusive out-of-market broadcasting rights in 2015 alone.



The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated antitrust law both through a horizontal conspiracy among all NFL teams (to bundle their broadcast rights together) and a vertical conspiracy among the NFL teams, the NFL, and DirecTV (to offer out-of-market games exclusively through DirecTV).

"The NFL and DirecTV are, according to our lawsuit, charging an artificially inflated premium to Sunday Ticket subscribers," said Ms. Lerner. "This lawsuit seeks to level the playing field and give subscribers access to the games they want under the fair, competitive conditions that our antitrust laws demand."


About Robins Kaplan LLP

Robins Kaplan LLP is among the nation's premier trial law firms, with more than 220 lawyers located in Atlanta; Bismarck, N.D.; Boston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Mountain View, Calif.; New York; Naples, Fla.; and Sioux Falls, S.D. The firm litigates, mediates, and arbitrates high-stakes, complex disputes, repeatedly earning national recognition. Firm clients include-as both plaintiffs and defendants-numerous Fortune 500 corporations, emerging-markets companies, entrepreneurs, and individuals.


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]