United States: $4.8bn fine imposed on the NFL for the "Sunday Ticket" overturned by a federal judge

Philip Gutierrez, a judge in the US District Court for the District of California, has overturned the jury's decision, which at the end of June 2024 ordered the National Football League to pay $4.8bn (€4.44bn) in damages for violating antitrust law, announced the NFL on 01/08/2024.

The judge ruled that the testimony of two witnesses was based on "flawed methodologies" and should not have been taken into account. "Without the testimonies of Dr. (Daniel) Rascher and Dr. (John) Zona, no reasonable jury could have found class-wide injury or damages," explained the judge.

The Federal Court jury initially made this decision following a class action on behalf of 2.4 million subscribers and 48,000 commercial establishments, initiated in 2015, concerning the broadcasting of the NFL Sunday Ticket (all Sunday afternoon games outside the local market, i.e. games that are not in the viewer's home region).

The plaintiffs argued that the NFL Sunday Ticket was marketed at a price that was too high over the 2011-2022 cycle, even though it was offered exclusively by the pay-TV group DirecTV. In…