NFL faces Justice Department probe after fans express frustration with streaming pivot: report

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says fans are being forced to juggle costly subscriptions just to follow football, while regulators review whether leagues are stretching their special legal treatment beyond what lawmakers originally intended.

The Justice Department reportedly opened an investigation into the NFL on Thursday over whether the league used anticompetitive tactics against fans.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the investigation.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the NFL for comment.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference after Super Bowl LX at Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2026. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)

The reported investigation comes as Trump administration officials and lawmakers have warned about revisiting the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. The law allows the NFL to negotiate league-wide TV deals without violating U.S. antitrust rules, provided it meets certain conditions, including protecting customer access.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, addressed the issue in a letter to the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. He requested a review of the league’s antitrust exemption status.

Meanwhile, surging streaming prices and sky-high ticket costs have combined to leave the average American NFL fan boxed out of watching their beloved game altogether or making it impossible to find.

A Fox News poll in March indicated that 72% of sports fans think major sporting events should stay free on broadcast TV, amid reports that the NFL is considering allowing teams to sell the