WASHINGTON, D.C. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been formally invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on June 10, 2026, regarding the league’s broadcast agreements and its increasing use of paywalled streaming services. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the committee, sent a letter to Goodell on Monday requesting his appearance at the hearing.
The hearing will examine how professional sports leagues, including the NFL, have leveraged the antitrust exemption granted under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 and whether that exemption harms consumers. According to a letter from Rep. Jordan, lawmakers will assess whether legislative changes are needed to address potential consumer harm stemming from current media distribution practices.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 allows professional sports leagues to negotiate media rights collectively, shielding them from antitrust lawsuits. However, the law applies only to broadcast networks, and courts have previously ruled it does not extend to cable, satellite, or streaming platforms. Despite this, the NFL has expanded its presence on subscription-based services, including Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, Peacock, and YouTube TV.
Since 2022, the league has moved Thursday night games to Amazon Prime Video and placed select playoff, Christmas Day, and Black Friday contests on streaming platforms. Netflix is scheduled to air a Green Bay Packers–Los Angeles Rams game the day before Thanksgiving during the 2026 season.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has raised concerns about the NFL’s streaming strategy. “For decades, Americans enjoyed turning on their TV & quickly finding the game they wanted to see. Yet watching your favorite team play isn’t as easy these days,” Carr said in a post on X. He has also warned that the league could lose its antitrust exemptions if it continues placing live games behind paywalls.
“There’s a live question at this point about whether putting games on Netflix or YouTube TV or other entities like that is that a sponsored telecast or is that something else? And if it’s something else, then it’s not clear that the antitrust exemption applies,” Carr said.
The Justice Department is currently investigating the NFL for potential anticompetitive practices. In March 2026, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, urged the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to review whether the NFL’s distribution methods comply with the Sports Broadcasting Act. The FTC has also sought public comments on the move of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services. The NFL has stated that 87% of its games remain available on free television and that games on cable or streaming are still accessible over the air in the home markets of the participating teams.