US Justice Department opens probe into NFL over anticompetitive practices

The US Justice Department is investigating the NFL amid concerns about broadcast sales to streamers.The United States Department of Justice ⁠has opened an ⁠investigation into whether the National Football League (NFL) has engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers, according to a source familiar with the matter.Major broadcast ⁠station owners, US regulators and senators have raised concerns in the past over the difficulties consumers face in watching sports games and the growing trend of selling broadcast rights ⁠to streamers.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Will Arteta’s emotional intensity drive Arsenal to glory or another choke?list 2 of 4LA28 Olympics opens ticket sales globally after record local demandlist 3 of 4Five wickets in 5 balls, 9 in match: Brazil bowler breaks cricket recordslist 4 of 4Fury vs Makhmudov: All you need to know about the heavyweight boxing boutend of listThe nature and full scope of the investigation could not be immediately ascertained.However, the NFL said in a statement on Thursday that more than 87 percent of its games are aired on free broadcast TV and that all games are aired on free broadcast television ‌in markets of participating teams.The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, while The Associated Press identifies their source as a “government official”.In February, the Federal Communications Commission opened a review into the growing shift of live sport away from broadcast networks to pay TV and subscription services, seeking comment on actions the agency “could take to ensure continued access by viewers to live sports through free over-the-air ⁠broadcast TV.”In response, major broadcast station owners last month urged ⁠the regulator to address the trend of Big Tech companies acquiring the rights to broadcast football, baseball and other sporting events, saying it could weaken local TV news.