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NFL fans will likely have to spend more to watch the league’s full schedule of games each week in 2026.
A YouTube TV “NFL Sunday Ticket” subscription can cost several hundred dollars, but it doesn’t provide access to every game. Fans should also subscribe to Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Netflix to watch the full lineup. The total costs of these packages exceed $1,500, but that figure does not include fees or Internet costs.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr has made it a priority to support American sports fans as the NFL, NBA, MLB and other leagues move key games from broadcast and cable television to expensive streaming services. However, the NFL could lose its antitrust exemption if too many games are placed behind a paywall, Carr said this week.
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The NFL shield logo on the field at SoFi Stadium on November 25, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Kirby Lee/magn Images)
“Does the NFL still benefit from the antitrust exemption when they are negotiating to broadcast games not on a sponsored broadcast, but on a streaming service?” Carr said at an event in Washington, DC, on Thursday, via Semafor. “That is a very lively and mature question.”
Carr warned that there is “a point where they tip the scales and they just put too many games behind a paywall, and then the whole waiver collapses.”
NFL FANS CALL LEAGUE STREAMING STRATEGY A ‘MONEY GRAB’ AS COSTS GET OUT OF CONTROL
A 1961 law allows the NFL to negotiate league-wide television deals without violating U.S. antitrust rules as long as it meets certain conditions, including protecting customer access. There is a lot at stake if the NFL’s antitrust exemption disappears, particularly if individual franchises start selling their television rights separately.
Carr pointed to broader implications for negotiations over media rights. “If NFL teams were able to bargain collectively,” he said, “maybe broadcasters should be able to bargain collectively as well?”
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr speaks at a press conference following an FCC meeting in Washington, DC, on February 18, 2026. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to the NFL for comment, but league officials did not immediately respond.
Last month, the FCC said that seek public comments on the shift of live sports from streaming channels to streaming platforms. The comment period runs through March 27 and responses are due April 13.
The FCC under the Trump administration is seeking public comment on the current shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services. (Getty Images)
Carr acknowledged that the rising cost and sometimes inconvenient nature of sports streaming is frustrating fans, arguing that the drawbacks ultimately outweigh the benefits.
Carr acknowledged that the rising cost and sometimes inconvenient nature of sports streaming is frustrating fans, arguing that the drawbacks ultimately outweigh the benefits.
“Americans get frustrated when they sit down and can’t find the game they want to watch. And that feeling only gets worse when they realize they might need to sign up for another streaming service to watch the game,” Carr previously told Pak Gazette Digital.
“There has long been a strong, mutually beneficial relationship between sports leagues and broadcasters, and consumers will benefit if that continues,” Carr continued. “I want Americans to continue to benefit from free over-the-air sports programming.”
