The American football league NFL was condemned on Thursday for having agreed with several broadcasters to set high prices for subscriptions to one of its flagship programs.
Found guilty of abuse of a dominant position by a jury at the end of a federal trial, the NFL will have to pay some $4.7 billion in damages, according to several American media outlets.
In 2015, the owners of a San Francisco pub, the Mucky Duck, sued the NFL over its management of the “Sunday Ticket” program, which allows, for a subscription, to see all games not involving the local team(s).
They accused the American Football League of using its monopoly to set unjustified prices, with the agreement of CBS and Fox, which broadcast the matches over the air, and the DirecTV satellite package, which holds the rights to the “Sunday Ticket.”
The procedure had been reclassified as a collective action, on behalf of 2.4 million subscribers and 48,000 commercial establishments.
The verdict Thursday could threaten the NFL’s seven-year, $14 billion contract with the current broadcaster of the “Sunday Ticket,” YouTube, which took over from DirecTV last year.
The league has announced its intention to challenge the decision in court.
The parties can submit appeals, which will be considered by Federal Judge Philip Gutierrez at the end of July. The magistrate will then have to decide whether the verdict should be confirmed, annulled or modified.
If confirmed, federal law provides for a tripling of damages, which would bring the amount owed by the NFL to $14 billion.
